The six most noteworthy football transfers this summer

1. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)

After winning the UEFA Champions League last season, Real Madrid has made another statement signing to add even more quality to their already star-studded team. Kylian Mbappé, arguably one of the world’s best players, has finally joined the club of his dreams at the age of 25 after leaving Paris Saint-Germain for free this summer. 

Mbappé was on the radar of Los Blancos for many years, but the Spanish powerhouse waited patiently for the Frenchman’s contract to run out. Mbappé, who was eager to move to Real Madrid, refused to sign a new contract at PSG, knowing that Europe’s best club would offer him a deal of a lifetime. It shows the immense power Real Madrid holds in the football world. The move can be seen as part of a new transfer strategy, as Real Madrid might do the same next season if Liverpool-star Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies don’t renew their contracts and are free to move elsewhere. Earlier this summer, Los Blancos had the same approach to the French talent Lenny Yoro, but it failed and he moved to Manchester United instead. 

 

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2. Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray)

This summer, Victor Osimhen was supposed to make a big move to one of Europe’s elite clubs. As one of the most sought-after strikers, Osimhen had his eyes set on a move and refused to play for Napoli again. The Italian club, however, wanted to receive a large sum for their striker who is valued at €100 million, but also secluded Osimhen from the team for forcing a move away. It remained rather quiet this summer as no club wanted to meet Osimhen’s release clause of approximately €130 million. 

Chelsea was pushing hard to sign the Nigerian striker in the last week of the transfer window but failed to agree a deal with Napoli over the payment instalments. Staying at Napoli wasn’t an option as the club clearly stated Osimhen would never play for the club again. So, instead, the 25-year-old will be plying his trade for Galatasaray for the season, who have surprisingly loaned him for the season. 

🔥🔥🔥 Osimhen’den ilk üçlü. pic.twitter.com/sOAI6aW5f5

— Yakup Çınar (@yakupcinar) September 3, 2024

3. Federico Chiesa (Liverpool)

Federico Chiesa was one of the stars of Italy’s team that won the European Championships in 2021. But somehow, over the last few years, the career of the 26-year-old has kind of stagnated at Juventus. This summer, Chiesa’s career hit an all-time low when it became clear that he wasn’t going to be a part of new manager Thiago Motta’s plans for the season. Liverpool grabbed the opportunity to sign the winger for a bargain fee of just €12 million. Whether or not his career will take a positive turn again, remains to be seen, but it is worth a gamble for this price. 

 

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4. Ciro Immobile (Besiktas)

The transfer of Ciro Immobile from Lazio Roma to the Turkish side Besiktas was a rather emotional one. The 34-year-old established himself as a club legend at Lazio, becoming the club’s all-time highest goalscorer. During his prolific time in Rome, Immobile equalled the record for most Serie A goals in a season with 36 and became the league’s top scorer four times. The striker, who currently sits eighth in the all-time list of Serie A top scorers, left Lazio with tears in his eyes. The fans also hated to see him go, as became clear when boarding his plane to Turkey. 

This Lazio fan in tears seeing Ciro Immobile leave for Beskitas 💔😢
pic.twitter.com/IXvWMvTJMb

— Italy Focus 🇮🇹 (@theitalyfocus) July 12, 2024

At Besiktas, Immobile has already made a strong start with three goals in three matches and is quickly winning the hearts of his new fans. 

5. Raheem Sterling (Arsenal)

You could write an entire book about Chelsea’s summer transfer window. Conor Gallagher, who was arguably Chelsea’s best player last season after Cole Palmer, was involved in a huge transfer saga with Átletico Madrid. But one of the most significant stories, that has gone a bit under the radar, is the loan move of Raheem Sterling to city rivals Arsenal. 

The 29-year-old was not allowed to train with Chelsea’s first team and got stripped of his locker on the training ground, just like Ben Chilwell and Trevoh Chalobah. Even though Sterling’s two seasons at the West London club have not been as successful as they would have hoped for, it is a harsh treatment for a footballer who not that long ago was an integral part of Manchester City’s domestic success. Mikel Arteta, however, will be more than thrilled to bring a familiar face from his time as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City and add some experience to his side as they finally hope to beat Manchester City to the title and potentially win the Champions League. 

 

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6. Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)

After just one season at FC Barcelona, İlkay Gündoğan has returned to Manchester City like he never left. The Premier League winners never really brought in a successful replacement for the midfielder, as they didn’t look as dominant as the year prior when they won the Champions League. 

Gündoğan a fantastic player who needs no time adjusting to the league and tactical system, but even more interestingly, it potentially reveals Pep Guardiola’s plans for next season. With Guardiola’s contract running out at the end of the season, there’s a feeling in the air that this might be his final year at the club. So is bringing back a 33-year-old midfielder, instead of finding a new and young player to replace him, a sign of a last hooray to win everything there’s to win one last time?

 

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Een bericht gedeeld door Manchester City (@mancity)