Football’s Most Expensive Summer Yet

Somewhere between the final whistle of the 2026 World Cup and the first ball of the new domestic season, European football quietly embarked on a spending spree unlike anything the sport has seen before.

Clubs that spent the early summer watching their best players lift trophies or nurse bruises across the United States, Mexico, and Canada came home to boardrooms already buzzing with fee negotiations, medical bookings, and agents circling for one last big payday before deadline day.