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Sam Tighe
Multiple Authors
Premier League clubs spent a record £3 billion ($4 billion) in a 2025 summer transfer window that finished with a bang thanks to Liverpool’s £125 million ($169 million) signing of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak. But with a FIFA World Cup in the middle of the window in 2026, will things stay the same?
The window opens on June 15 for the Premier League and July 1 for most of the other major European leagues.
Here are grades for all the major confirmed transfers in the men’s game, with each listed by date and then by highest fee.
All fees are reported unless confirmed with an asterisk.
June 30
Barcelona: B
Chicago Fire FC: B+
Chicago Fire won the race to sign legendary striker Lewandowski, who may be into his late thirties, but still scored 14 goals from 17 starts in LaLiga last season. He’ll join MLS top scorer Hugo Cuypers (13 goals this term) in what is now a fearsome front two on paper.
It was certainly time for him to depart Barcelona, where he excelled since joining in 2022, but also hoovered up a huge portion of the wage bill at a club that’s been right up against it financially for some time.
June 18
Brighton & Hove Albion: B+
Tottenham: B
Van Hecke has slowly developed into one of the Premier League’s best center backs. The Netherlands international has long been one of the best passers and dribblers from the back, and now he’s become a sturdier, meaner defender, too.
At 25, he’s ready for the next step, and reuniting with manager Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham feels like a brilliant match. Brighton were resigned to losing him given he had just one year left on his contract and did well to hold out for a fee above £50 million.
Osasuna: B+
Liverpool: B-
Muñoz is an incredibly busy, buzzing winger who tears around the pitch, tries to beat defenders one-on-one and shoots willingly. Stylistically that makes him a good fit for Andoni Iraola, but Liverpool are gambling slightly on the 23-year-old stepping up to the elite level quickly.
For Osasuna, this is a record departure — but not quite the huge payday it looks like. They only hold 50% of the player’s rights, with Real Madrid holding the other half; that means half €40m fee will go to Los Blancos.
June 15
Bournemouth: D
Tottenham: A
Senesi was one of the outstanding center backs in the Premier League last season. A committed defender, a physical presence and a brilliant passer from the back, he stood out as one of the best free agents heading into the summer, and Spurs have won the race for his signature.
His signing does raise some questions for the club to answer. Will captain Cristian Romero be departing? Is the plan to play with two left-footers (Senesi and Micky van de Ven), or will it be a back three? Though none of that detracts from the fact this deal is a coup.
Liverpool: B
Tottenham: B
Tottenham came close to signing Robertson in January and have now finally sealed the deal. The 32-year-old defender’s time at Liverpool had come to a natural end as he passed his peak and Milos Kerkez replaced him in the XI.
Roberto De Zerbi will value the Scotland international’s passing ability and the Spurs squad badly need his leadership qualities — although they have reportedly paid a premium in wages for a player who won’t necessarily be first choice.
June 29
Rasmus Højlund
€44m (£38m; $51m)
Manchester United: B+
Napoli: B+
Højlund’s loan to Napoli was made permanent the moment the Italian giants qualified for the Champions League. The Denmark striker led the attacking line all season long, contributing 16 goals in total, and rebounded well from his disappointing spell at Man United.
It’s a good deal for both clubs, as €44 million (plus a €6 million loan fee last season) for a reliable goal scorer represents strong value for Napoli, while United will be pleased to make a fair chunk of their money back on a signing that cost them an initial €75 million and simply did not work out.
June 1
Newcastle: A-
Barcelona: B
With legendary goal scorer Robert Lewandowski gone on a free transfer and Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford far from certain to stay permanently, Barcelona needed a big addition to their forward line this summer. Gordon plays both left wing and striker, presses hard and was the fastest player in the Premier League last season, topping 36 km/h, per Gradient Sports. He’s a good fit for Hansi Flick’s tactical style.
This is about the right price range for any player of this established quality. Newcastle could earn an extra €10 million if add-ons are met, making this potentially even more lucrative for them.
Chelsea: C-
Real Madrid: A-
When Chelsea’s ownership group drew up their transfer strategy, this is surely not what it was supposed to look like. Cucurella is one of the few signings that has unequivocally succeeded, yet here they are losing him for a fairly modest fee, potentially rising to €60m with add-ons.
The Blues’ loss is Madrid’s gain: Barcelona academy graduate Cucurella returns to Spain as a fully fledged international and trophy winner, shoring up the left-back area in Madrid nicely. José Mourinho will love his blood-and-thunder style.
Bayer Leverkusen: C
Arsenal: A
Hincapié’s loan to Arsenal has become a permanent move after certain conditions were met. He proved an excellent pickup last summer, ably sharing the left-back role with Riccardo Calafiori and covering at center back too.
Factoring in the initial loan fee of €6 million, this looks to have cost the Gunners just shy of €50 million all in. For a player of this established quality and age (24), it goes down as an absolute bargain.
Strasbourg: B
Chelsea: B
Chelsea struck a deal to sign Emegha in the summer of 2025, but opted to let him stay at sister club Strasbourg and continue developing for another year. It was a good idea, but things didn’t go to plan as the Dutchman missed most of last season due to injury.
For a player who stands 6-foot-5 tall he is extremely fast, with great movement, but he is unreliable in front of goal and underperformed his xG by three in 2024-25. Emegha has huge potential and he is still only 23, but probably isn’t ready to start for Chelsea just yet.
Manchester City: D
Real Madrid: A
Silva, who is one of the most tactically versatile and intelligent players the sport has ever seen, was linked strongly to each of Spain’s big three clubs. But Los Blancos will benefit hugely from his presence in a variety of ways.
After nine incredible years at City, there was little need for the club to recoup any sort of fee for him, but this one still really hurts. The Portugal midfielder was a crucial component of the team and the dressing room and a symbol of the Pep Guardiola era.
Liverpool: D
Real Madrid: B-
Konaté’s athleticism is off the charts, and when he’s in good form, he’s close to unbeatable at the back. But inconsistency has long troubled his game, and reports in Spain suggest not only has he earned a huge signing bonus of €20 million, but he’s more than tripled his weekly wage with this move.
From Madrid’s perspective, this is no free transfer. But from Liverpool’s perspective it is. They get absolutely nothing in return for a very good player, but have at least covered themselves for this eventuality with new €70 million arrival Jérémy Jacquet (agreed in January).
Atletico Madrid: B
Orlando City: A
Griezmann’s long farewell to Atlético was a tearjerker, and it feels right that the 35-year-old forward opted for a new challenge, on a different continent, rather than moved to another European club. He was a great servant to the club for a long time, negating the need to receive any kind of fee for him.
Orlando have had a poor campaign to date and could use all the help they can get; Griezmann’s quality and personality is a great start to turning things around.
