The Summer transfer window has come to its end in the top 5 European leagues, leaving us some great moves and a lot of things to talk about. Players who were expected to leave their clubs stayed put waiting for a move that never arrived, while others decide to wait another year before making their way to a different side.
It was quite an entertaining transfer window, and just in case you don’t know what happened around the old continent, or don’t remember some of the best moves of the offseason, today we’re going to recap the most important moves of the 2019 summer transfer window.
Mauro Icardi – Inter Milan to Paris Saint-Germain
🔴🔵 #ICICESTPARIS pic.twitter.com/yqCmJ01r31
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) September 2, 2019
Mauro Icardi has joined Paris Saint-Germain from Inter Milan on a loan deal with an option to buy. The Argentinian was the objective of several rumors and reports over the summer, with some linking him to Juventus or Napoli in Italy.
However, neither Napoli or Juve could strike a deal for the Argentinian, who is set to play abroad this summer, with the Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain. Icardi traveled to Paris to meet with the club’s hierarchy and get himself a deal with one of the richest teams in the world. The 26-year-old wasn’t having a good time with Inter, so this move can be extremely helpful for him.
Keylor Navas – Real Madrid to Paris Saint-Germain
🔴🔵 #ICICESTPARIS pic.twitter.com/DFYhsjs2vH
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) September 2, 2019
This is the last big move of the summer transfer window. Navas was set to stay with Real Madrid although he wasn’t going to see a lot of minutes with the team this season. Even Zinedine Zidane wanted him to stay with the team, but ultimately, Los Blancos decided to part ways with the talented goalkeeper.
He landed in France earlier today to complete his move to Paris Saint-Germain, finishing details in the afternoon, as Madrid agreed to send Keylor to the Parc des Princes for around 15 million euros plus Alphonse Areola in return. This was the most unexpected move of the day, but it happened to close a transfer window full of plot twists and surprises.
Eden Hazard – Chelsea to Real Madrid
👉 #WelcomeHazard pic.twitter.com/ph6fXHpakp
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 7, 2019
Eden Hazard made it clear last season that he wanted to leave Chelsea and join Real Madrid. Well, he got his wish granted at the beginning of the summer, landing in Madrid in a deal that cost Madrid €150 million.
Hazard left Chelsea after making them Europa League champions, having an outstanding performance in the final game. He’s now ready to take on a different challenge with Madrid, hoping to have the same good moments he enjoyed at Stamford Bridge. He’s currently sidelined, but once he gets back, Madrid will be a team to be scared of once again.
Luka Jovic – Eintracht Frankfurt to Real Madrid
👉 #WelcomeJovic pic.twitter.com/moSEJGg8d8
— Real Madrid C.F.⚽ (@realmadrid) June 4, 2019
Another good transfer for Los Blancos was Serbian striker Luka Jovic, who found his way to Madrid from Eintracht Frankfurt after having marvelous performances with the German side. Jovic, 21, was the first signing of Madrid once the transfer window opened.
This kid is expected to be one of the best strikers in football in the future, and playing in arguably the best club in the world will certainly help him fulfill his potential and become the superstar everybody expects him to be. This is a player for the present and the future.
Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid to Barcelona
🗣 | Barcelona’s president, Josep Bartomeu:
“Griezmann is one of the five or six best players in the world.”
Do you agree with him? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/ozOI0r7RvD
— Semper Football (@SemperFootball) July 27, 2019
The Antoine Griezmann saga was quite entertaining for a lot of reasons. Nobody knew what to expect from Barcelona and Atletico, given their back and forth and the war of words the two Spanish giants had over the summer.
At some point, when everything pointed out that the French forward was set to join the Blaugrana, Atletico demanded Griezmann to return to the team. It was really dramatic, but in the end, Barcelona could finally land their desired asset. They were hopeful to get Neymar, too, but Griezmann is a top player, as well. A hell of a signing for the Catalonians.
Matthijs de Ligt – Ajax to Juventus
💡 LIGTS 🔛 | Matthijs de Ligt officially signs for Juventus! ✍️⚪⚫
https://t.co/dWhtEdSULz #TURNDELIGTON #LiveAhead pic.twitter.com/1xrVIFqSBy
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) July 18, 2019
Matthijs de Ligt was the most coveted player of the summer without any hesitation, given all the good stuff the young center-back during his days with Eredivisie champions Ajax. Matthijs took his team to play in the Champions League semi-finals as well as winning a domestic double, which all the top teams in Europe turn their heads to him.
When everybody thought Barcelona was ready to strike a deal for the 20-year-old, Juventus showed up and stole the player from Amsterdam, winning one of the best signings of the summer. Right now he’s having issues to adapt to Juventus and Italian football, but once he gets on track, this kid is going to become one of the best in his position.
Romelu Lukaku – Manchester United to Inter Milan
🤳 | THIS PLAYER…#NotForEveryone @RomeluLukaku9 pic.twitter.com/pDuKLiNS58
— Inter (@Inter) August 8, 2019
This was another big saga between two European giants, as Internazionale were keen to land Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United. Even though the Red Devils wanted to offload the Belgian striker, they wanted to part ways with him at the right price, which created a lot of friction between the two sides and opened the door for other clubs, including Juventus.
Luckily for Inter, they gathered the money they needed to land Lukaku, making one of the best transfers of the offseason. The Belgium international looks better than ever and has scored in his first two games with Inter, making it clear that he’s the same quality player he once was during his first days with Manchester.
Other important moves:
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – Crystal Palace to Manchester United
Nicolas Pepe – Lille to Arsenal
Alexis Sanchez – Manchester United to Inter Milan
Hirving Lozano – PSV to Napoli
Rodri – Atletico Madrid to Manchester City
David Luiz – Chelsea to Arsenal
Joao Cancelo – Juventus to Manchester City
Harry Maguire – Leicester City to Manchester United
Danilo – Manchester City to Juventus
Tanguy Ndombele – Olympique Lyonnais to Tottenham
Giovani Lo Celso – Real Betis to Tottenham
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – Arsenal to Roma
Ante Rebic – Eintracht Frankfurt to Milan
Philippe Coutinho – Barcelona to Bayern Munich
Ivan Perisic – Inter Milan to Bayern Munich
Mats Hummels – Bayern Munich to Borussia Dortmund
Radamel Falcao – Monaco to Galatasaray
Joao Felix – Benfica to Atletico Madrid
Alvaro Morata – Chelsea to Atletico Madrid