REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
With the summer window now behind us, the most overpriced transfers made ahead of the 2026/2027 season have been revealed.
During the latest transfer window, Premier League clubs were the big spenders again, with the three most expensive moves involving English top flight sides.
Manchester City made the highest-paid transfer of the summer, spending £125 million to sign Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea, as well as securing Elliot Anderson for £116 million. Chelsea closely followed City, splashing out £117 million on Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers. Meanwhile, Real Madrid forked out £115.7 million to bring in Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig.
With transfer fees at an all-time high, a study conducted by FootballTransfers has revealed the 11 most overpriced transfers of the summer.
The study compared the actual transfer fee to an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV), which is based on historical transfers and in-game data points.
In total, the study found that the 11 most overpriced transfers were bought for €614 million more than their ETVs.
The 11 most overpriced transfers of the summer: 11th-6th
11. Goncalo Ramos - Paris Saint Germain to AC Milan
REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
Transfer fee: €74 million
ETV: €31.8 million
Overspend: €42.2 million
Following his failure to nail down a regular starting spot under Luis Enrique, Ramos left Paris for Milan, having scored 45 goals in 131 appearances for the club.
10. Savio - Manchester City to Tottenham Hotspur
Reuters/Peter Cziborra
Transfer fee: €87.7 million
ETV: €44.9 million
Overspend: €42.8 million
Savio’s transfer fee certainly raised a few eyebrows, as the Brazilian only managed to score seven goals in 84 matches for City.
Signing originally for just €25 million, City have done well to make a profit of over €60 million.
9. Marco Palestra - Atalanta to Chelsea
REUTERS/Hollie Adams
Transfer fee: €57 million
ETV: €12.4 million
Overspend: €44.6 million
Full-back Palestra is said to have the lowest ETV on the list, with the Blues spending over five times his value to sign him from Atalanta.
Clearly highly rated by Chelsea and Xabi Alonso, the young Italian will hope to impress as soon as possible.
8. Sandro Tonali - Newcastle to Tottenham Hotspur
Reuters/Matthew Childs
Transfer fee: €108 million
ETV: €59.9 million
Overspend: €49.1 million
After just beating the drop, Spurs spent big during the summer, smashing their transfer record to bring in Tonali, who was impressive during his time at Newcastle United.
7. Bradley Barcola - Paris Saint Germain to Liverpool
REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Transfer fee: €123.8 million
ETV: €74 million
Overspend: €49.8 million
According to the study, Barcola was perhaps undervalued by the algorithm; nevertheless, the Frenchman will need to produce some stellar performances to justify his big price tag.
6. Ayyoub Bouaddi - Lille to Manchester City
Reuters/Peter Cziborra
Transfer fee: €95 million
ETV: €43.5 million
Overspend: €51.5 million
Another large overpayment: City had to spend big in order to beat their rivals to Bouaddi, who produced a string of impressive displays during the 2026 World Cup.
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The 11 most overpriced transfers of the summer: 11th-6th
Player
Goncalo Ramos
Savio
Marco Palestra
Sandro Tonali
Bradley Barcola
Ayyoub Bouaddi
The 11 most overpriced transfers of the summer: 5th - 1st
5. Enzo Fernandez - Chelsea to Manchester City
Reuters/Matthew Childs
Transfer fee: €145 million
ETV: €83.3 million
Overspend: €61.7 million
Despite signing for Chelsea for a huge €121 million back in 2023, the Blues have managed to make a profit by moving the Argentine on for €145 million.
4. Morgan Rogers - Aston Villa to Chelsea
REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Transfer fee: €137.3 million
ETV: €73.4 million
Overspend: €63.9 million
Rogers has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top, having impressed at Aston Villa before sealing a big-money move to Chelsea.
Despite his strong performances, Chelsea are said to have overpaid by more than €60 million.
3. Elliot Anderson - Nottingham Forest to Manchester City
Reuters/Peter Cziborra
Transfer fee: €135 million
ETV: €69.4 million
Overspend: €65.6 million
Similar to Rogers, Anderson also saw his stock rise in recent months and was linked with a host of big clubs in the country.
City ended up securing the 23-year-old’s signature for a whopping €135 million.
2. Mateus Fernandes: West Ham to Tottenham Hotspur
Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Transfer fee: €99 million
ETV: €28.7 million
Overspend: €70.3 million
West Ham’s relegation did not hamper their bid to receive huge money for their talisman Fernandes. After fighting off Manchester United, Spurs sealed the deal for Fernandes, but the transfer has been labeled as a severe overpayment.
1. Yan Diomande - RB Leipzig to Real Madrid
REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Transfer fee: €125 million
ETV: €51.8 million
Overspend: €73.2 million
One of the most chaotic transfer deals of the summer, Diomande was first linked with Liverpool and then PSG, before eventually signing for Real Madrid for €125 million. According to the study, the Ivorian was brought in for over €70 million more than his estimated value.
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The 11 most overpriced transfers of the summer: 5th-1st
Player
Enzo Fernandez
Morgan Rogers
Elliot Anderson
Mateus Fernandes
Yan Diomande