Summary of 2025 football transfers: Analysis of dynamics of Manchester City, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal and other giants

In the past week, many major transfers in European football have been completed: Chelsea sold two players, Real Madrid repurchased the youth training legacy, Naples signed three people in one go, and Atletico Madrid introduced two new players... The following is a detailed inventory of the recent key transfers.

1. Noni Marduk: Chelsea → Arsenal (55.4 million euros)

Chelsea have invested 243 million euros to sign up this summer. In order to balance the revenue and expenditure, they sold winger Marduk to their city rival Arsenal. The player who joined Chelsea from PSV for 3.5 million euros in early 2023, made 90 appearances in the Blues in two seasons, contributing 20 goals and 9 assists, and now joining Arsenal for 55.4 million euros, becoming the seventh most expensive signing in the team history.

However, Arsenal fans did not buy into the transfer: more than 4,000 people jointly petitioned for opposition and created a protest tag of #NoToMadueke. The deal also makes people re-examine Chelsea’s business model—selling marginal players at high prices seems to have become their new strategy.

2. Alvaro Carreras: Benfica → Real Madrid (50 million euros)

Real Madrid repurchased its own youth training defender Carreras. In 2020, Carreras left Real Madrid to join Manchester United, and then loaned to Preston and Granada, and was eventually bought out by Benfica for 14.3 million euros. Just a year later, Benfica sold him back to Real Madrid for 50 million euros (a premium of 3.5 times).

22-year-old Carreras performed well last season: 4 goals and 5 assists in 52 games, received 20 yellow cards, showing a tough defensive style. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez bluntly stated that Carreras is "one of Europe's top defenders."

3. Sam Becker: Bologna→Naples (31 million euros)

Naples has made frequent moves this week, and the 26-year-old Dutch defender Becker is the most expensive new player. He signed a five-year contract with Naples, while Bologna earned 31 million euros. Last season, Becker played 48 times for Bologna, contributing 2 assists and only won 4 yellow cards. With his experience in Serie A (65 games) and Champions League (8 games), he hopes to be selected for the Dutch national team.

4. George Petrovic: Chelsea → Bournemouth (28.8 million euros)

Serbian goalkeeper Petrovic ended his Chelsea career and joined Bournemouth for 28.8 million euros and signed for five years. After joining Chelsea from the American League in 2023, he only made 31 appearances for the Blues (conceded 44 goals and 7 clean sheets). He performed well during his loan at Strasbourg last season and became one of the best goalkeepers in Ligue 1.

Chelsea's strategy of hoarding goalkeepers in recent years has finally relaxed: they have sent away four goalkeepers this summer. In addition to Petrovic, Kepa joined Arsenal, Max Betinelli to Manchester City, and Lucas Bergstrom transferred to Mallorca.

5. Noah Long: PSV→Naples (25 million euros)

Another Dutch player signed by Naples, 26-year-old Long has played for Twente, Ajax, Bruges and PSV, and has played for the Dutch national team for 14 times and scored 3 goals. Last season, he made 44 appearances for PSV, contributing 14 goals and 12 assists, with a total goal + assist of 26. However, it is still unknown whether this winger, who performed well in the Eredivisie, can adapt to the rhythm of Serie A.

6. Johnny Cardoso: Betis → Atletico Madrid (24 million euros)

Atletico Madrid introduces US midfielder Cardoso for 24 million euros. In early 2024, Cardozo joined Betis from the Brazilian League, played 65 times in one and a half years, contributing 5 goals and 3 assists, and has scored goals for strong teams such as Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and Sevilla. The 23-year-old midfielder signed with Atletico Madrid for five years and will further strengthen the team's midfield hardness.

7. Thiago Almada: Botafogo → Atletico Madrid (21 million euros)

Atletico Madrid's second new player is the 24-year-old Argentine midfielder Almada. He has never played in La Liga and has been loaned to Lyon on loan in his career (20 games, 2 goals and 5 assists). After returning to Botafogo, he won the 2024 Brazilian League and Copa Libertadores championship with the team. Almada played for the Argentina national team and scored 4 goals 10 times, and won the World Cup championship with the team in 2022.

8. El Haji Malik Diouf: Slavia, Prague → West Ham (19.36 million euros)

West Ham signed 20-year-old Senegalese star Diouf for 19.36 million euros. In early 2024, he joined Slavia from Tromso, Norway for 5.64 million euros, making 50 appearances in half a year, contributing 9 goals and 4 assists. Diouf is competent in all positions on the left and even played a guest appearance in the centre-back, and his potential is widely favored.

9. Svere Newpan: Rosenberg → Manchester City (15 million euros)

The 18-year-old Norwegian star Nüpan joined Manchester City. He said: "Norway and Manchester City have long had special connections" - after all, there are two Norwegian players, Haaland and Oscar Bob. Newpan made more than 70 appearances at Rosenberg, contributing 14 goals and 11 assists. Despite his outstanding talent, he may be rented out by Manchester City in the short term. He has not been selected for the Norwegian adult team yet, but he is already the main force of the youth team.

10.Luka Modric: Real Madrid → Milan (free transfer)

39-year-old Croatian legendary midfielder Modric joined Milan as a free agent, ending his 13-year career in Real Madrid. After joining Real Madrid in 2012, Modric made 597 appearances, winning the Champions League with the team six times and winning the Golden Ball Award once, winning almost all honors. He also played 6 times for Real Madrid this summer's Club Cup (120 minutes in total) and finally left the team due to the expiration of his contract. Whether this veteran can bring experience bonus to Milan has become the focus of fans' attention.

11. Jordan Henderson: Ajax→Brentford (free transfer)

Former Liverpool captain Henderson joins Brentford as a free agent and signs until 2027. Henderson won Champions League and Premier League championships with Liverpool, briefly joined Saudi Itifak in 2023, and then moved to Ajax (1 goal and 9 assists in 57 games). At the age of 35, he hopes to continue to play his remaining energy in the Premier League.

Other key transfers

· Nottingham Forest sells midfielder Danilo to Botafogo for 23 million euros;

· Red Bull Leipzig signs winger João Baccaryoko and defender Andrea Maximovich for 18 million euros (from PSV) and 14 million euros (from Belgrade Red Star) respectively;

· Leeds United introduces midfielder Sean Longstaff from Newcastle for 13.8 million euros;

· Manchester City sells midfielder Maximo Perone to Como for 13 million euros;

· Naples loans Udinese striker Lorenzo Luca for 9 million euros, with the contract including buyout option;

· 39-year-old former Juventus midfielder Federico Bernardeski joined Bologna as a free agent and returned to Serie A.