Top 5 costliest signings in 2026 summer transfer window
What's the story
The summer 2026 transfer window came to an end in Europe's top 5 leagues with Premier League clubs dominating the list in terms of making record deals. The biggest deal of the summer was Manchester City's acquisition of Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea for a whopping £125 million. The transfer matches the British record and came as a surprise profit for Chelsea. Here we decode the top 5 costliest signings (including add-ons).
#1
Enzo Fernandes - Chelsea to Man City (£125 million)
Enzo Maresca has reunited with his former Chelsea player Fernandez in Manchester.
City roped in Fernandez from Chelsea for a joint-British-record fee of £125m.
The fee matched what Liverpool paid Newcastle United for Swedish striker Alexander Isak on Deadline Day a year ago.
The Argentine midfielder signed a five-year deal at the Etihad Stadium.
As per Sky Sports News, Chelsea made close to an £18m profit on the midfielder they signed for £106.8m three-and-a-half years ago from Benfica.
#2
Bradley Barcola - Paris Saint-Germain to Liverpool (£123 million)
Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola moved to Liverpool.
Barcola agreed a five-year contract at Anfield. Notably, Liverpool will pay a guaranteed £106m for the winger, with add-ons potentially taking the fee to a whopping £123m.
As per reports, PSG had initially valued their European champion at £145 million, but Liverpool were patient and managed to get him at a lower price.
#3
Yan Diomande - RB Leipzig to Real Madrid (£120 million)
RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande joined Real Madrid for a deal worth up to a whopping £120m.
Diomande agreed a seven-year deal with the Spanish giants until the summer of 2033.
Liverpool and PSG were also interested in Diomande, but Leipzig stood firm on their valuation, as Real came in and got the job done.
Earlier, Real had a bid of £85.4m (€100m) rejected for the 19-year-old Diomande.
With the add-ons in place, Diomande could well become Real's most expensive signing, surpassing Jude Bellingham.
#4
Morgan Rogers - Aston Villa to Chelsea (£117 million)
The fourth biggest transfer of the summer window saw Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers move to Chelsea for £117 million.
With this move, Rogers became the expensive British footballer in history.
The Englishman is also Chelsea's record signing, as he moved past Moises Caicedo, who joined the club from Brighton in the summer of 2023 for a deal rising to £115m with add-ons.
Rogers made 125 appearances for Villa and scored 31 goals (A29).
#5
Elliot Anderson - Nottingham Forest to Manchester City (£116 million)
Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson made a big move this summer, joining Manchester City for £116 million.
Anderson made 55 appearances for Newcastle United before joining Forest in the summer of 2024.
Across two seasons at Forest, the player racked up six goals in 92 appearances.
In the Premier League, he owns a total of 121 appearances, including two for City.