Most expensive under-21 transfer in football History
Football clubs spend a lot on their scouting network to discover the next gem in the game, and a lot of these gems come at a very steep price despite a lot of uncertainty that comes with signing the next superstar.
Futballnews has compiled a list of some of the most expensive transfer for under-21 in football history.
Matthijs de Ligt, From Ajax to Juventus Fee: €75m, 2019
His presence at the heart of Ajax defence as they won the league and challenged big names in Europe called attention from clubs all over Europe, de ligt had the world at his feet. His technique and ability to read the game has been his a special attribute clubs knew they wanted in their team.
The Dutch defender at a teenage age had made giant strides in the national team playing alongside already establish national team members.
Italian Giant Juventus won the signature of the dutch defender to become the most expensive defender in serie A, they also had to pay extra fee to super agent Jorge Mendes who represent the player.
Matthijs de Ligt is finding it hard to find his feet in the Italian Serie A club with some errors which has led to goal and below-par performance has made his adaptation difficult. but he has shown glimpses of what he offer if the Italian club can be patient enough
Frankie de jong, From Ajax to Barcelona Fee: €75m, 2019.
The Dutch midfielder was an important part of Ajax and played at the heart of its midfield in their fairy-tale run in Champions League, De jong had the top clubs in Europe circling for his signature. Spanish giant Barcelona would win the race to secure the mercurial talent in January 2019 before he unveiled In the summer.
De Jong has shown glimpses of why Barcelona spent so much on him in his one season in La Liga with a comparison with club legends such as Xavi and Busquets.
If Frankie de Jong fulfills his potential, the hefty fee might just be seen as a steal.
Neymar, From Santos to Barcelona, Fee: €86m, 2013.
South America has always been seen as a home for talents with a long list of world-class players.
Neymar was one of the youngsters that had every club in the world at his feet, scouts did not need a soothsayer to understand Neymar was destined for greatness. He breezed past players effortlessly, and his dribbling skills were second to none.
Barcelona had to pay a premium price for the Brazilian wonder-kid, and even in his worst season in La Liga, he scored 15 goals in 39 appearances.
In the four seasons he played at Camp Nou, he scored 105 goals in just 186 appearances, winning the Champions League and La Liga before was sold for another record fee to French giant Paris Saint-German.
Ousamne Dembele, From: Dortmund to Barcelona, Fee: €105m, 2017
The aftermath of Neymar’s departure from Barcelona led to them heading back to the transfer market for another talented player.
Ousanmne Dembele was the answer answer to Barcelona’s questions. Dembele had earlier spent a season in French club Rennes, while he made the Bundesliga Team of the Year with 12 assists registered to his name. The French man possessed pace and trickery on the ball, just like Neymar.
Dembele did not have the same effect in Barcelona as Neymar due to persistent injuries.
Jao Felix, From Benfica to Atletico Madrid , €126m, 2019.
Atletico Madrid is a team known to nurture its talent rather than spend on big transfer.
Felix had been a standout player for Benfica in their 2018/19 season with 20 goals to help his team secure the League, and Atletico had seen enough to bring protocol or miss out in such a huge talent.
Atletico had to activate Felix’s release clause in other to secure his signature. Jao Felix is slowly adapting to life in the Spanish League and has four goals in all competition, while he won the Golden Boy award ahead of England’s Jordan Sancho and German wonder Kai Havertz last year.
Kylian Mbappe, from Monaco to Paris Saint-German Fee:€180, 2017
The French speedster was a sensation with the Monaco team that upset PSG to win the French League and reached the semi-final of the Champions League in the same season.
The French man’s love for his home city saw him sign for rivals PSG for an initial season long loan before making a move permanent for a mouth-watering fee of €180m, making him the second most expensive player in history just behind new teammate Neymar.
Kylian Mbappe has gone on to score 78 goal in just 106 appearances winning two consecutive Ligue 1 titles coupled with the World Cup trophy win, which he scored the winning goal, making him the first teenager to score in a World Cup final since Pele.
The possibilities are endless with Mbappe, who seems to have achieved everything there is to achieve at such a tender age.
