Real Madrid sign French superstar Mbappe on free transfer; Osimhen joins Galatasaray on loan from Napoli
The 2024 summer saw sensational football signings as French superstar and 2018 FIFA World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe joined Real Madrid and Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen joined Galatasaray on loan during the same transfer window.
On June 3, Mbappe, 26, left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to complete his move to Real Madrid, which the Spanish giants confirmed.
A couple of days after their UEFA Champions League triumph, Real Madrid signed Mbappe on a free transfer.
The player's deal at PSG expired this summer.
Mbappe's impact at Real Madrid in the first weeks of the Spanish league was criticized. He scored 14 goals and made four assists in 24 matches for the club.
On July 27, Real Madrid signed highly-rated Brazilian teenager Endrick to a six-year contract just days after his 18th birthday.
The Whites paid €47.5 million ($50 million) to Brazilian club Palmeiras.
Osimhen's shocking move to Türkiye's Galatasaray
Nigeria's Osimhen, one of the world’s most valuable forwards, made his way to Türkiye in September in a surprising move.
Osimhen, 26, joined Galatasaray on loan from Serie A side Napoli on Sept. 4.
His market value was €100 million once he signed for Galatasaray temporarily. His loan deal at the Turkish team will end on June 30, 2025.
Many big clubs in Europe were chasing Osimhen, but he chose to play for Galatasaray for the 2024-25 season.
Thanks to his goalscoring skills, pace, strength and athleticism, he became the fans' favorite at Galatasaray.
He scored 12 goals and made five assists in 15 matches for the defending Turkish champions.
Julian Alvarez moves to Atletico Madrid for record deal
Atletico Madrid signed 24-year-old Argentine forward Julian Alvarez from Manchester City for €75 million on Aug. 12.
It was the record sale of the 2024 summer transfer window.
Alvarez helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He scored 36 goals in 103 matches for Manchester City and previously played for Argentine giants River Plate.
Alvarez scored 12 goals in 26 matches for the Spanish La Liga club this season.
This summer, Atletico Madrid also signed English midfielder Conor Gallagher from Chelsea, Spanish defender Robin Le Normand from Real Sociedad and Norwegian forward Alexander Sorloth from Villarreal.
So Atletico Madrid paid €183.5 million for four players including Alvarez.
Having strengthened their squad with important players, Atletico Madrid ended 2024 as the Spanish La Liga leaders.
Sacha Boey leaves Galatasaray for Bayern; Brighton sign Ferdi Kadioglu from Fenerbahce
On Jan. 28, Bayern Munich signed French right-back Sacha Boey from Galatasaray for €30 million plus add-ons.
Galatasaray's archrivals Fenerbahce sold their Turkish full-back Ferdi Kadioglu to English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion on Aug. 27.
In addition to Kadioglu, Brighton signed many football players in 2024 such as Georginio Rutter, Yankuba Minteh, Mats Wieffer, Brajan Gruda, Matt O'Riley, Ibrahim Osman, Diego Gomez and Malick Yalcouye to spend €250 million.
This year, Bayern Munich have spent €170 million to buy French winger Michael Olise, Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha, Japanese defender Hiroki Ito and Spanish winger Bryan Zaragoza.
Record transfers in 2024 are as follows:
Footballer Left Joined Transfer fee (million euros)
1 Julian Alvarez Manchester City Atletico Madrid 75
2 Dominic Solanke Bournemouth Tottenham Hotspur 64.30
3 Leny Yoro Lille Manchester United 62
4 Pedro Neto Wolverhampton Chelsea 60
5 Moussa Diaby Aston Villa Al-Ittihad 60
6 Joao Neves Benfica PSG 59.92
7 Amadou Onana Everton Aston Villa 59.35
8 Dani Olmo Leipzig Barcelona 55
9 Teun Koopmeiners Atalanta Juventus 54.70
10 Michael Olise Crystal Palace Bayern Munich 53
