Goal will give marks to the biggest transfers from around the world all summer long.

Some football fans look forward to the off-season the most because it only means one thing: moves! It’s getting close to the end of the window, but the biggest names are still being linked with the biggest clubs, as rumours run wild.

It is a known fact that some transfers are good for everyone involved. However, there are also many transfers where at least one club or player wonders what could have been if they had made a different choice during negotiations.

So, GOAL is here to make sure you know who made the most money in every big deal before the contracts are even signed. We’re giving each completed deal a grade as it happens during the summer transfer window. This way, you can keep track of the big winners and losers of the season.

Here are our most recent grades. Please let us know what you think in the comments…

August 17: Desire Doue moves from Rennes to Paris Saint-Germain for €50 million.

For Rennes: More proof of how great the club’s school is doing its job. Doue, a teenage star who was sold for a lot of money, is just following in the paths of Ousmane Dembele, Mathys Tel, and Eduardo Camavinga. It will not be easy to replace the winger, who scored four goals and set up four others in just 17 Ligue 1 starts last season. It will also take some time, but Rennes can do it! A grade

Another exciting sign for Paris Saint-Germain. PSG has been hiring players in a way similar to Chelsea’s over the last couple of windows: they’re focussing on getting young, talented players. But the main difference is that the French team cares more about quality than number. They really scored when they got Doue because other teams, like Manchester United and Bayern Munich, were also interested in the 19-year-old. The fee is high, but Doue, who can play with both feet, was one of the most exciting dribblers in European football last season. A grade

For Doue: the next step that makes sense. Doue would be better off moving to Paris than to Manchester or Munich. He won the 2022 European Under-17 Championship with PSG player Warren Zaire-Emery, so he should fit right in at Parc des Princes, both on and off the pitch. He’s still pretty young, so it’s not a surprise that he has some problems with his game. But his old coaches say he’s a humble, hard-working kid who’s always trying to get better. That €50m (£43m/$55m) price tag will put some pressure on him, and PSG have plenty of options out wide, so it won’t be easy to make the team as a starter. That may not be a bad thing at this point in his career, though. Even so, he should still be given a lot of chances to please the fans who are desperate for a new hero since Kylian Mbappe left. He is a versatile, hard-working attacker who is very good in one-on-ones. Grade: A-

August 13: Matthijs de Ligt leaves Bayern Munich for Manchester United for £43 million.

Good business for Bayern Munich. It looked like Bayern did a great job when they signed De Ligt from Juventus for a lot less than the Italians had paid for him in 2022. But after looking like he might be a mainstay in the Bavarians’ defence for years to come, the Dutchman turned out to be nothing like the great centre back we saw at Ajax. He was a regular until the end of Thomas Tuchel’s time as manager, but the fact that Bayern wanted to sell him says a lot. It also says a lot that he played no minutes for the Netherlands at Euro 2024. Bayern will be glad to get back a big chunk of the money they spent on a player they no longer wanted. Grade: B+

It was a risk that Manchester United was willing to take. There are definitely worries that De Ligt was praised too much while he was in Amsterdam; he hasn’t shown that he can consistently perform at the top level. But the price isn’t crazy, and there’s still a great centre back in there, so Erik ten Hag, who used to manage Ajax, is the perfect person to bring it back out. Plus, let’s be honest: De Ligt is a lot better at football than many of United’s centre backs from last year! Grade: B

For De Ligt, this could be his last chance to show what he can do at a club this size. Even though De Ligt is only 24, if he fails at United, as he did at Juventus and Bayern, it’s unlikely that another big team in Europe will pay a lot of money to sign him. He has the ability to be a world-class centre back because he is quick on his feet and big. But there are still concerns about his speed and his tendency to make mistakes and lose focus, which cost him a lot of money. It’s up to De Ligt to show that he can handle the pressure of coming through in every game for a top team. Ten Hag should give him a lot of chances to do that at Old Trafford. Grade: B+

August 13: Noussair Mazraoui moves from Bayern Munich to Manchester United for £17 million.

For Bayern, it was a choice that made sense. As a useful squad player, Mazraoui could fill in at either left or right back, but he was never really the first choice in either position when everyone was healthy. Things might have been different if either Joshua Kimmich or Alphonso Davies had quit this summer. That being said, it makes sense to sell Mazraoui since the club still has Sacha Boey and Raphael Guerreiro and the new player Hiroki Ito can also play left back. Grade: B

For United: A clear step up from Aaron Wan-Bissaka. United has made a lot of bad moves in the last ten years, but this one was a good one because they got Mazraoui for free by selling Wan-Bissaka to West Ham. The Moroccan is not only more flexible, but he also feels much more at ease playing on the front foot. This means that he should be a good scoring outlet no matter where he is put in. Grade: B+

For Mazraoui, it was a chance to seal a starting spot at one of the biggest football clubs in the world, working for a manager he used to work for. Mazraoui proved at Ajax and during Morocco’s amazing run to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup that he is both talented and calm enough to perform at the top level. Together with Achraf Hakimi, another fullback, he helped keep opponents at bay while also making things difficult for the front line in Qatar. It’s possible for Mazraoui to become a fan favourite at Old Trafford, even though he’s not as good as his international teammate. A grade

August 12: Julian Alvarez leaves Manchester City for Atletico Madrid for €75 million.

For Manchester City, selling a player they didn’t really need brought them a huge amount of money. In the past few seasons, City has sold players like Raheem Sterling, Ferran Torres, Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane, and Cole Palmer. However, none of those departures have stopped the club’s unbroken run of Premier League success. Alvarez is a great player, and he’s shown that at both the club and international levels. However, the summer signing of Savinho made the battle for starting spots around Erling Haaland, who is the clear first-choice No. 9, even tougher. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that City have taken a huge offer that could add up to €95m for the player they signed from River Plate for €21m. A+ grade

For Atletico Madrid, it was a huge statement of purpose. Alexander Sorloth, Robin Le Normand, and Conor Gallagher were just a few of the players that Atletico had brought in during what had been a pretty quiet summer transfer market so far. Getting Alvarez, on the other hand, is a whole different story. The 24-year-old Argentine forward can do a lot of different things and has already won almost all of the game’s big awards. He’s also scored goals frequently even though he doesn’t get much playing time and is often put in positions other than his preferred one. There is a big fee, but Alvarez has even more possible. Next season, he might blow up at the Metropolitano. Grade: B+

For Alvarez: the chance he’s been waiting for a long time. We’ve known for a while that Alvarez is good enough to lead the line every week for a top team. At the Etihad, Haaland was the only thing that was stopping him. Now he has a chance to show that he can become a top scorer on his own. He has everything he needs to do it: he’s quick, big, technically skilled, and works very hard—pretty much everything Diego Simeone wants in a No. 9 player. Alvarez will be closely watched this season because of how much was spent on him, but he has the skills and personality to become one of the best center-forwards in the game, as he showed at Qatar 2022 and while leading the line for City while Haaland was hurt. You can expect him to enjoy the pressure of playing for a club with such big goals and in front of such enthusiastic fans. A grade