The 2023 summer transfer window is yet to officially open but that hasn’t stopped clubs from doing some big deals. Brighton have already made a record signing with money received from Liverpool.
Here are the biggest deals so far. Players are ranked by size of the initial fee, with add-ons stated.
1. Pedro Porro (Sporting Lisbon to Tottenham) – £39m The Portugal right-back became Tottenham’s property having initially joined the club on loan on deadline day in January. He cost £5million for half a season, in which time he played for three different managers, and Spurs were obligated to pay another £39million this summer. Porro is primarily a wing-back so let’s see if he can play in a back four for Ange Postecoglou.
2. Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton to Liverpool) – £35million plus £20m add-ons Brighton and Liverpool kept the fee under their hats but some Liverpool fans want you to believe they bagged the World Cup winner for the cost of a Tesco meal deal. We have to assume that if Mac Allister is a success, then the Reds will be liable for around £55million, which could still turn out to be a bargain, especially if he adapts to playing a deeper role.
3. Joao Pedro (Watford to Brighton) – £30m Brighton didn’t wait for the end of the season to get Pedro signed, or for the Mac Allister money to clear in their account, before announcing a club-record deal three weeks before the end of the season. The Seagulls welcomed ‘a brilliant young talent’ and many Watford fans concur.
4. Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo to Napoli) – £25.8million The Italy forward has already won a Scudetto with Napoli having spent last season on loan. The Serie A champions are obligated to cough up €30million to keep Raspadori having paid €5million to borrow the 23-year-old for a year.
5. Terem Moffi (Lorient to Nice) – £25.8million West Ham and Bournemouth both wanted Moffi in January but the Nigerian forward opted instead for Nice, who must pay €30million having borrowed him since January. Lorient will also bank 15 % of whatever fee Nice might receive for the 24-year-old, who scored six goals in 16 appearances through the second half of the Ligue 1 season.
6. Hamed Traore (Sassuolo to Napoli) – £21million Along with Raspadori, Sassuolo also loaned out Traore, this time for the second half of the season in anticipation of banking another fat cheque from Bournemouth. The midfielder only played seven games but, two games before the end of the season, the Cherries said: “Conditions within the original loan agreement have been reached, and the Ivorian is now contracted until June 2028.”
7. Benjamin Sesko (RB Salzburg to RB Leipzig) – £20m Manchester United were interested – some reports suggest they still are – but Sesko agreed last August to stay under Red Bull’s wing, swapping Salzburg for Leipzig. The Germans will reportedly pay £20million for the 19-year-old, though they may welcome the opportunity to flip the forward swiftly if United or Newcastle make a decisive move.
8. Nicolas Seiwald (RB Salzburg to RB Leipzig) – £17.2m The Austria midfielder becomes the 20th player to move between Salzburg and Leipzig since Red Bull took over the German club. Seiwald was reportedly a target for Arsenal and Roma but Leipzig agreed a deal for the 21-year-old in February, with a contract signed until 2028.
9. Chris Wood (Newcastle to Nottingham Forest) – £15m Wood moved to the City Ground in January, with the incentive of a permanent move if certain, mysterious criteria were met. The Times reported that three starts would be enough to make Forest liable for £15million – he managed five before a season-ending thigh injury in March.
10. Ivan Ilic (Hellas Verona to Torino) – £13.5m Similarly, ex-Man City midfielder Ilic joined Torino on a six-month loan deal from Hellas Verona with a conditional obligation to purchase. The Serbia international offered two goals and three assists in 14 appearances, presumably going over and above whatever minimum requirement was set.
