The gap between the end of a season and the start of next, is possibly the most exciting one for the football fans, as the transfer market snatches the spotlight from almost everything during the vacant slot.
Like every season, the summer of 2016 was full of talks, speculations and big money being involved. The total of 1.165 billion pounds were spend only in the Premier League as a new record has been set.
The Quint brings you the five biggest transfers of the summer of 2016.
1. Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba made headlines this summer when he rejoined English giant Manchester United from Juventus for a world record fee of 105 million euros, making his the most expensive transfer in the history of football. The centre-midfielder from France has signed a five-year contract with the Reds.
The 23-year-old joined Juventus after being part of Manchester United youth academy for 3 years from 2009-2012. His signing eclipsed the one of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspurs to Real Madrid in 2013 for a fee of 100 million euros.
2. Gonzalo Higuain
The 28-year-old Argentina International raised eyebrows this summer when he turned his back on Napoli and signed a new deal with its rival club Juventus for a whopping price of 90 million Euros.
This is reportedly the fourth highest transfer fee in the history of football after that of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Paul Pogba. The move will surely boost Juventus’ chances of winning the champions league in the coming season.
3. Hulk
The mighty looking Brazilian too changed his club this summer from Zenit St. Petersburg to Shanghai SIPG for a hefty fee of for 55.80 million euros. Hulk becomes the first top signing in what is expected to be a frantic transfer window in the Chinese Super League. 30-year-old Hulk, who has won 46 caps for Brazil and scored 11 goals, joined Zenit from Porto in 2012 for 40 million euros.
4. John Stones
Manchester City signed the England’s centre-back for a breathtaking fee of 55.60 million euros from Everton, thus making him the fourth biggest signing of this summer.
The 22-year-old is now the world’s second most expensive defender after Brazilian David Luiz, who joined PSG from Chelsea for 50 million pounds in 2014. Stones signed a six-year contract with the former champions.
5. Leroy Sane
German winger Leroy Sane agreed to join Manchester City who paid 50 million euros for his transfer from Bundesliga club Schalke 04. The 20-year-old signed a five-year deal with Pep Guardiola’s side.
Sane played a decent role in Schalke’s run to finish 5th last year as he scored 8 goals and assisted 6 times.
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