All the biggest moves in the 2024 summer soccer transfer window

Alas, we did not see a ground-shattering transfer in the final hours of the window, and Kylian Mbappé's long-awaited switch from Paris-Germain to Real Madrid remains the biggest move in terms of impact in the window, if not in terms of value.

The France captain famously refused to sign a new contract with the Ligue 1 champions, allowing the 15-time European champions to get one of the world’s biggest superstars on a free transfer (his wages aren’t cheap, however…).

Gündogan makes way for Olmo at Barcelona

One of the window’s other big-name transfers also involved no money changing hands, between the buying and selling clubs, at least. Ilkay Gündogan returned to Manchester City after only a year with Barcelona, party as a result of the Catalans’ well-documented financial issues.

Barça moved Gündogan on to facilitate the registration of their own headline summer signing, Dani Olmo. The Euro 2024 winner, who spent seven years at La Masia until 2014, agreed a €55 million ($60.95 million) transfer from RB Leipzig but missed his new club’s first two league games of the season due to them being over their spending limit imposed by LaLiga. A (temporary) solution has been found.

Big Premier League incomings and outgoings

Premier League clubs have inevitably been the biggest overall spenders, with Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth to Spurs), Pedro Neto (Wolves to Chelsea), Leny Yoro (Lille to Manchester United), Amadou Onana (Everton to Aston Villa), João Félix (Atlético Madrid to Chelsea), Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna to Arsenal), Georginio Rutter (Leeds United to Brighton), Max Kilman (Wolves to West Ham) and Matthijs De Ligt (Bayern Munich to Manchester United) all moving for in excess of €45 million ($49.87 million).

However, there have also been plenty of big-money moves away from England, as Premier League clubs attempt to balance the books in terms of Financial Fair Play. That includes the most expensive one of all, with Manchester City’s Julián Álvarez joining Atlético Madrid in a deal initially worth €75 million ($83.1 million)

Moussa Diaby (Aston Villa to Al-Itiihad), Michael Olise (Crystal Palace to Bayern Munich), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa to Juventus), João Palhinha (Fulham to Bayern Munich), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea to Atlético Madrid) and Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea to Napoli) have also left the English top flight for initial fees in excess of €30 million ($33.24 million) this summer.

Summer 2024 transfer window biggest moves

*All transfer fees have been from Transfermarkt and converted into US dollars.

Julián Álvarez - Manchester City to Atlético Madrid - €75 million / $83.11 million

Dominic Solanke - Bournemouth to Spurs - €64.3 million / $71.25 million

Leny Yoro - Lille to Manchester United - €62 million / $68.7 million

Pedro Neto - Wolves to Chelsea - €60 million / $66.49 million

Moussa Diaby - Aston Villa to Al-Ittihad - €60 million / $66.49 million

João Neves - Benfica to PSG - €59.92 million / $66.4 million

Amadou Onana - Everton to Aston Villa - €59.35 million / $65.77 million

Dani Olmo - RB Leipzig to Barcelona - €55 million / $60.95 million

Manuel Ugarte - PSG to Man Utd - €55 million / $60 million

Teun Koopmeiners - Atalanta to Juventus - €54.7 million / $60.62 million

Michael Olise - Crystal Palace to Bayern Munich - €53 million / $58.73 million

João Félix - Atlético Madrid to Chelsea - €52 million / $57.62 million

Douglas Luiz - Aston Villa to Juventus - €51.5 million / $57.07 million

João Palhinha - Fulham to Bayern Munich - €51 million / $56.52 million

Désiré Doué - Rennes to PSG - €50 million / $55.41 million

Endrick - Palmeiras to Real Madrid - €47.5 million / $52.64 million

Max Kilman - Wolves to West Ham - €47.5 million / $52.64 million

Georginio Rutter - Leeds to Brighton - €46.7 million / $51.75 million

Matthijs de Ligt - Bayern Munich to Manchester United - €45 million / $49.87 million

Riccardo Calafiori - Bologna to Arsenal - €45 million / $49.87 million

Ian Maatsen - Chelsea to Aston Villa - €44.5 million / $49.31 million

Joshua Zirkzee - Bologna to Manchester United - €42.5 million / $47.1 million

Conor Gallagher - Chelsea to Atlético Madrid - €42 million / $46.54 million

Robin Le Normand - Real Sociedad to Atlético Madrid - €34.5 million / $38.23 million

Eddie Nketiah - Arsenal to Crystal Palace - €34.5 million / $38.23 million

Mikel Merino - Real Sociedad to Arsenal - €32 million / $35.46 million

Alexander Sorloth - Real Sociedad to Atlético Madrid - €32 million / $35.46 million

Emile Smith-Rowe - Arsenal to Fulham - €31.8 million / $35.24 million

Giorgi Mamardashvili - Valencia to Liverpool - €30 million / $33.24 million

Romelu Lukaku - Chelsea to Napoli - €30 million / $33.24 million

Scott McTominay - Man Utd to Napoli - €30 million / $33.24 million

Joachim Andersen - Crystal Palace to Fulham - €29.5 million / $32.67 million

Crysencio Summerville - Leeds to West Ham - €29.3 million / $32.47 million

Jadon Sancho - Man Utd to Chelsea - €29 million / $32 million (obligation after 24/25 season ends)

Nicklas Füllkrug - Borussia Dortmund to West Ham - €27 million / $29.92 million

Mason Greenwood - Manchester United to Marseille - €26 million / $28.81 million

Savinho - Troyes to Manchester City - €25 million / $27.7 million

João Cancelo - Manchester City to Al-Hilal - €25 million / $27.7 million

Fábio Carvalho - Liverpool to Brentford - €23.4 million / $25.93 million

Aaron Ramsdale - Arsenal to Southampton - €21.4 million / $23.7 million

Khéphren Thuram - Nice to Juventus - €20.6 million / $22.83 million

Youssouf Fofana - Monaco to AC Milan - €20 million / $22.16 million

Thiago Almada - Atlanta United to Botafogo - €19.5 million / $21.61 million

Álvaro Morata - Atlético Madrid to AC Milan - €13 million / $14.41 million

Billy Gilmour - Brighton to Napoli - €13 million / $14.41 million

Federico Chiesa - Juventus to Liverpool - €12 million / $13.3 million

Hirving Lozano - PSV Eindhoven to San Diego FC - €12 million / $13.3 million

Ilkay Gündogan - Barcelona to Manchester City - free

Kylian Mbappé - PSG to Real Madrid - free

When did the 2024 summer transfer window close in Europe?

The transfer window closed in most countries on Friday, August 30, although the times vary across different European nations.

Germany’s Bundesliga was the first market to close, with the deadline at 2 p.m E.T. The next competition to slam shut was Ligue 1, with the deadline scheduled for 5 p.m. E.T. LaLiga, the Premier League and Serie A all closed their respective markets at 6 p.m E.T.

In the Premier League’s case, clubs trying to close a last-minute agreement with a player can sign a “deal sheet.” This document allows English teams to submit full paperwork until two hours after the deadline (8 p.m. E.T.). The agreement must be signed and sent to the Premier League before 6 p.m. E.T. Otherwise, they cannot take advantage of this additional time.