2025 has drawn to a close. The winter and summer transfer windows of this year produced a slew of deals that not only shaped the outcomes of major competitions last season but will also continue to influence the 2026 campaigns. This annual list of top 10 transfers is divided into five successful moves and five disastrous ones—let’s check them out.
Five Successful Transfers
1.Khvicha Kvaratskhelia: Napoli → Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), €70 million
After leading Napoli to reclaim the Serie A title alongside Victor Osimhen in the 2022/23 season, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was linked with Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City. Most notably, PSG once tried to sign him and Osimhen in a €200 million package deal. However, due to Napoli’s usual demand for even higher fees for high-value transfers, he never got a suitable chance to leave.
With his contract set to expire in 2027, Antonio Conte officially confirmed on January 10, 2025 that Kvaratskhelia had submitted a transfer request. Just two days earlier, on January 8, Paris Saint-Germain announced the signing of Kvaratskhelia for over €70 million.
Right after joining the club, he showcased his talent and gradually displaced Bradley Barcola to become the team’s starting left winger. On April 10, in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals against Aston Villa, he surged forward from the halfway line in the 49th minute, outpaced all defenders on the left flank, and fired a thunderous left-footed shot into the near corner to help PSG turn the tables. He started both legs of the Champions League semi-finals, setting up Ousmane Dembélé to score as early as the 4th minute of the first leg. In the Champions League final, he started and netted his team’s fourth goal, proving absolutely indispensable to PSG’s Champions League triumph.
2.Joan García: RCD Espanyol → FC Barcelona, €25 million release clause
A product of RCD Espanyol’s youth academy, Joan García rose to prominence in the 2023/24 season and became the first-choice goalkeeper in the subsequent 2024/25 campaign. He attracted interest not only from domestic Spanish clubs but also from Arsenal. However, after comparing him with their first-choice goalkeeper David Raya in early June, the Gunners withdrew from the race, unwilling to pay a hefty release clause for a backup goalkeeper.
Barcelona then moved quickly to seal the deal, signing the goalkeeper from their city rivals’ youth system for a €25 million release clause. At the start of the season, his youth and technical attributes, which were more suited to Hansi Flick’s tactical system, allowed him to quickly outperform Marc-André ter Stegen and Wojciech Szczęsny to become Barça’s number one goalkeeper.
He boasts an impressive save success rate and excellent long-pass ability that perfectly fits Barcelona’s style—a combination none of the other goalkeepers in the squad fully possess. His standout performance came against his former club Espanyol; unfazed by the jeers from the entire stadium, he put on a Man of the Match display, earning praise for his mental toughness. He is likely to emerge as a strong contender for Spain’s first-choice goalkeeper spot at next year’s World Cup.
3.João Pedro: Brighton & Hove Albion → Chelsea, €60 million
Since joining Brighton & Hove Albion in the 2023/24 season, João Pedro has been a regular starter in the team’s front line, scoring 33 goals and providing 10 assists across two seasons. However, on March 21, 2025, he was handed an internal suspension for slapping his teammate Jan Paul van Hecke during training, which completely opened the door to his transfer.
In the early stages of the 2025 summer transfer window, Newcastle United made the first move, hoping to sign the Brazilian international for €50 million plus add-ons, but Brighton demanded €55 million plus performance-related clauses. Eventually, Chelsea joined the race on June 30 and completed the signing with a total offer of €60 million within 48 hours.
Coinciding with Chelsea’s participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, Pedro, who had kept training during the off-season, was included in the matchday squad in a short time. On July 9, in the Club World Cup semi-finals, he scored a brace on his first start for Chelsea. In the final, he latched onto Cole Palmer’s assist and chipped the ball over Gianluigi Donnarumma to score the third goal of the game, helping the team lift the Club World Cup trophy. Back in the Premier League, however, his inconsistent positioning—switching between the No. 10 and No. 9 roles—affected his form. Nevertheless, there is no denying that he is a key player for Chelsea’s pursuit of Champions League qualification this season.
4.Luis Díaz: Liverpool → Bayern Munich, €75 million
Luis Díaz has been a mainstay at Liverpool since joining the club in the 2022 winter transfer window, helping the Reds claim the Premier League title in the 2024/25 season. However, his salary has never matched that of other key players in the squad, leading to a deadlock in contract renewal negotiations with Liverpool.
In May 2025, Bayern Munich initiated contact with Díaz’s representatives; formal talks kicked off in June. In early July, the player publicly expressed his desire to join Bayern for the first time. On July 25, Bayern made an initial bid of €67.5 million, which was ultimately rejected. Two days later, they revised the offer to a structure of €70 million fixed fee plus €5 million add-ons, and Liverpool finally agreed to the deal.
Bayern’s decision has proven to be a masterstroke. The Colombian winger’s dribbling ability has forged sensational chemistry with Michael Olise—he has already notched 14 goals and 9 assists in half a season. What’s more, he scored a brace against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League to help his team secure victory. This season, the trio of Díaz, Harry Kane and Olise could propel Bayern deep into the Champions League.
5.Granit Xhaka: Bayer Leverkusen → Sunderland, €20 million
Veteran Granit Xhaka may be the most surprising entry on this list, but his performances for Sunderland this season have truly highlighted that he has been vastly underrated throughout his career. He played for Arsenal from 2016 to 2023, amassing extensive experience in Premier League encounters.
After joining Bayer Leverkusen, he was often overshadowed by the team that broke Bayern Munich’s dominance in the Bundesliga with an unbeaten campaign. On July 30, 2025, Sunderland officially announced the signing of Xhaka for €20 million—a decision widely ridiculed at the time, with many deeming it absurd for a newly promoted side to spend such a sum on an aging player.
However, the Premier League season proved everyone wrong. Xhaka marshaled Sunderland to become one of the toughest nuts to crack in the league, with iconic results including an away win over Chelsea, a draw against Liverpool, and home stalemates with Arsenal and Manchester City. Currently sitting 10th in the Premier League, Sunderland are not only on track to secure top-flight survival but also have a shot at qualifying for European competitions. For a €20 million transfer, this deal stands as a textbook example of successful recruitment for small and medium-sized clubs.
Five Disastrous Transfers
1.Alexander Isak: Newcastle United → Liverpool, €144 million
Alexander Isak joined Newcastle United for €70 million in 2022. Over three seasons at St. James’ Park, he netted 62 goals, establishing himself as the Premier League’s most sought-after striker behind Erling Haaland. He even earned a spot in the FPA Team of the Season for 2024/25, which triggered a flurry of transfer rumors.
Liverpool first turned their attention to Isak in May 2025. In July, they submitted a €110 million bid, which was rejected by Newcastle, who labeled the striker as “unsellable”. In the meantime, Liverpool moved quickly to sign their second-choice target Hugo Ekitike—a player also on Newcastle’s radar for their forward line. On July 19, Isak announced he had boycotted training and withdrawn from all pre-season sessions, officially submitting a transfer request.
Just as everyone thought the deal would fall through, Isak and Newcastle issued conflicting statements at the start of the season, confirming their relationship had completely broken down. Before the transfer window closed, Newcastle announced the signing of Nick Woltemade for €85 million, clearing the way for Isak to join Liverpool for a whopping €144 million in the final moments of the summer window.
However, having missed all pre-season training and friendlies, Isak has struggled to find his scoring form this season, coinciding with a series of consecutive defeats for Liverpool. In the 17th round of the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur, he was injured by Micky van de Ven’s tackle right after scoring, and is set to be sidelined until the end of the season. His absence has dealt a huge blow to Liverpool’s campaign, and it also puts Sweden’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup via the play-offs in jeopardy.
2.Jhon Durán: Aston Villa → Al Nassr, €77 million fixed + €15 million add-ons
Jhon Durán joined Aston Villa for €16 million in the 2023 winter transfer window. Over two seasons at Villa Park, he developed rapidly, repeatedly making an impact as a substitute in the first half of the 2024/25 campaign. At just 21 years old, he attracted interest from top clubs including Chelsea, and he also believed that Unai Emery should deploy him as the first-choice center-forward—a disagreement that strained their relationship.
In the 2025 winter transfer window, Al Nassr made an offer far exceeding the €60 million range tabled by Chelsea and West Ham United, putting forward a staggering package of €77 million fixed fee plus €15 million add-ons. Plagued by financial pressures, Aston Villa opted to cash in on the striker.
However, things did not go as Durán had hoped. He struggled to adapt to the local lifestyle and religious customs, and failed to build effective partnerships with his teammates. The turning point came when he missed an open goal against Kawasaki Frontale in the AFC Champions League knockout stages,directly led to Al-Nassr's elimination. This costly miss led Al Nassr to offload him on loan to Turkish side Fenerbahçe in the summer window.
3.Anthony Elanga: Nottingham Forest → Newcastle United, £52 million fixed + £3 million add-ons
In the 2024/25 season, Anthony Elanga played a key role in Nottingham Forest’s impressive campaign, helping the club secure a European competition spot with 6 goals and 11 assists across the season. As a former Manchester United player, he scored the winning goal against his old club on April 2.
With Newcastle United qualifying for the Champions League, they set their sights on the in-demand winger. On July 12, they sealed the signing of the Englishman for £52 million fixed fee plus £3 million add-ons—a deal that ranks as the second-most expensive in the club’s history.
However, the transfer has failed to live up to expectations. To date this season, Elanga has made 25 appearances for Newcastle without scoring a single goal. His poor performances have led him to be labeled as one of the worst Premier League signings of the year by numerous media outlets.
4.James Trafford: Burnley → Manchester City, £31 million
James Trafford has long been regarded as England’s goalkeeper of the future, having shot to prominence after helping the England U21s win the European Championship. In 2023, newly promoted Burnley announced the signing of the goalkeeper for €15 million. Over the next two seasons, he served as the first-choice keeper, accompanying Burnley in their campaigns in the Premier League and EFL Championship. After helping Burnley return to the top flight, he was re-signed by his parent club Manchester City for £31 million.
At the start of the season, he was named Manchester City’s first-choice goalkeeper, but a costly error leading to a goal in the second league match against Tottenham Hotspur cost him his starting spot. Following the signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Trafford has spent most of the subsequent season on the bench.
While this deal is not a total disaster for Manchester City, it is undoubtedly a failed move for the player, who had his sights set on earning a spot in England’s World Cup squad.
5.Jamie Gittens: Borussia Dortmund → Chelsea, €52 million
After Mykhailo Mudryk was suspended over a suspected doping violation and contract negotiations with Jadon Sancho fell through over salary terms, Chelsea turned their attention to signing two young left wingers, narrowing their shortlist down to Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens.
Jamie Gittens enjoyed an impressive 2024/25 season at Borussia Dortmund, contributing to 17 goals across all competitions. On July 5, Borussia Dortmund announced that Gittens had officially joined Chelsea. However, his poor performances at the start of the season led head coach Enzo Maresca to drop him to the bench quickly. Struggling to adapt to the physical intensity of the Premier League and far outshone by Garnacho on the wing, Gittens has failed to secure regular playing time at Chelsea, scoring just one goal so far.
Gittens’ underwhelming spell has dealt a major blow to Chelsea’s left-wing attacking threat, with the club currently languishing outside the Premier League’s Champions League qualification places.
