CRAZY MONEY! The 10 worst value deals of this summer ranked - and why clubs are overpaying ahead of transfer deadline day

The clock is ticking but the chequebooks are still flicking. With the summer transfer window fast approaching its deadline, clubs are hastily doing business and splashing the cash in a final push to strengthen their squads.

But how much is too much? The transfer market has boomed in recent years and spending £100million on a footballer no longer seems outlandish. The Premier League's financial might is partly responsible, of course, and we're expecting last summer's all-time spending record of £3.1bn to be broken by 11pm on Tuesday.

Behind Paris Saint-Germain's moves for Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, four of the next six most expensive transfers in football history involve an England buyer. But spend doesn't always guarantee success.

Mirror Football has used FootballTransfers.com's Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) model - which calculates a player's value based on a number of factors such as age, position, performance stats, potential, experience and contract situation - to find the worst value deal of the window so far.

And we want your opinion as well, so don't forget to vote in our poll!

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Paris Saint-Germain to AC Milan

Transfer fee: £63.25m

Estimated transfer value: £27.18m

Overspend: £36.07m (232.7%)

AC Milan forked out a club-record fee, eclipsing the £42m spent on Rafael Leao from Lille in 2019, to back new manager Ruben Amorim in the transfer market. Ramos was a perennial substitute at PSG, but his goalscoring record remained solid, with 45 goals and 10 assists in 131 appearances in total for the French side.

The 25-year-old retained his value while on the bench at PSG, who paid Benfica €65m (£55m), plus €15m (£12.86m) in add-ons, three years ago.

Manchester City to Tottenham

Transfer fee: £75m

Estimated transfer value: £38.38m

Overspend: £36.58m (195.43%)

One of the real head-scratchers of the window. Savio - formerly known as Savinho - managed just seven goals and 16 assists in 84 games for Manchester City, who had bought him from Troyes, part of the same ownership group, for £30.8m back in 2024. He has just two Premier League goals to his (changed) name.

Spurs have bought potential, looking more at his impressive loan spell with Girona in 2023-24 when he helped them qualify for the Champions League with nine goals and eight assists to make the La Liga team of the year.

Atalanta to Chelsea

Transfer fee: £47m

Estimated transfer value: £10.6m

Overspend: £38.12m (443.47%)

Chelsea gazumped Inter Milan to make the right-back the first signing of the Xabi Alonso era in early July. The 21-year-old was named Serie A defender of the year during his loan spell with Cagliari last season, but is still very inexperienced, having only made his debut for Atalanta in December 2023.

His playing style and stats are certainly eye-catching, with his 70 successful dribbles the highest of any defender across Europe's top 10 leagues last season. Palestra's attack-minded play appears to make him a good fit for Alonso's tactical system, which will deploy him as a wingback (when he's fit).

Newcastle to Tottenham

Transfer fee: £92.5m

Estimated transfer value: £51.2m

Overspend: £41.11m (180.68%)

Much was made of Newcastle's fire sale this summer, with Tonali the most expensive of the high-profile departures, bringing in more than Anthony Gordon (£69m to Barcelona) and Bruno Guimaraes (£75m to Arsenal). The question is why.

Like many of his ex-teammates, Tonali didn't enjoy the best of 2025-26 campaigns for the Magpies. But his all-action and all-rounder ability in central midfield is still attractive to many sides; Tonali himself admitted he could've moved back to Italy, if Serie A clubs could afford his transfer fee.

Ultimately, Roberto De Zerbi and the Italian contingent at the north London club made the difference.

Lille to Manchester City

Transfer fee: £81.30m

Estimated transfer value: £37.18m

Overspend: £44.02m (218.67%)

City have paid, in a large part, for potential after making the Moroccan midfielder the most expensive teenager in Premier League history. Bouaddi really caught the eye at the World Cup, excelling for the African nation, which came off the back of an impressive season with Lille.

The French side, known for selling their top talent, no doubt knew of the clamour to sign Bouaddi and ramping up the price was also going to be favourable for them. He remains Lille's youngest ever player and announced himself with a standout performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Paris Saint-Germain to Liverpool

Transfer fee: £100m [CHECK]

Estimated transfer value: £49m [CHECK]

Overspend: £51m (205%) [CHECK]

At long last, Andoni Iraola has his man. Liverpool's search for a winger may've been a protracted one but Barcola was always seen by the Anfield hierarchy as worth the wait.

Having been a key part of PSG's back-to-back triumphs in the Champions League, the 23-year-old comes with serious pedigree and age on his side. Barcola should give Liverpool the X-Factor in attack that many feel they're lacking amid Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz's struggles.

Aston Villa to Chelsea

Transfer fee: £117m

Estimated transfer value: £62.74m

Overspend: £54.62m (186.5%)

Part of Aston Villa's summer of sales, Rogers was the man being eyed by the majority of top clubs, the only thing was which one would be prepared to pay his valuation. City's purchase of Elliot Anderson for £116m set the bar very high and Villa were adamant that Rogers was worth more.

Arsenal were thought to be heading the queue before Chelsea, who have forged a reputation for overpaying in recent years, came in and blew them out the water to make Rogers the British record signing.

Nottingham Forest to Manchester City

Transfer fee: £116m

Estimated transfer value: £59.32m

Overspend: £56.07m (195.56%)

From Newcastle castoff to England regular within the space of two years, Anderson's ascent was one of the stories of last season. Uunlike rivals Manchester United, City were willing to go cross the £100m barrier and won the race for Anderson after coughing up Nottingham Forest's lofty price tag.

The pressure on the midfielder's shoulders is now a lot heavier following the departure of Rodri to Barcelona, and how he pairs with Bouaddi could make or break Enzo Maresca's first season in charge.

West Ham to Tottenham

Transfer fee: £85m

Estimated transfer value: £24.53m

Overspend: £60.09m (346.52%)

Relegated two seasons in a row, Fernandes certainly has a pointed to prove at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Portuguese was expected leave West Ham this summer but not for £85m.

His first start for Spurs on Wednesday was encouraging, having only come on as a substitute in Saturday's 3-0 loss away to Brentford. Fernandes registered an assist and created three chances as Tottenham thrashed Charlton Athletic 5-1 to reach the Carabao Cup third round, and he's expected to keep his place when they welcome Newcastle on Saturday.

Fernandes is the fourth midfielder on this list, so why are clubs overpaying to fix their engine rooms? As FootballTransfers.com editor Robin Bariner explains: "One factor has been the Premier League's 'Big Six' all chasing players in a similar position.

"Central midfielders have been high on the agenda across the board among England's biggest clubs, meaning that a handful of clubs have all been chasing the same players. Going into the summer, Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Bruno Guimaraes and even Carlos Baleba were all considered premium targets, so it should come as little surprise all feature among the biggest deals.

"There's a small supply of these elite players but a big demand, creating inflated prices."

RB Leipzig to Real Madrid

Transfer fee: £106.84m

Estimated transfer value: £44.27m

Overspend: £62.56m (241.31%)

Coming in at No.1 is Diomande, the name of everyone's lips in the Bundesliga last season. With 13 goals and nine assists, the teenager shot to stardom and sparked a tug of war between some of Europe's biggest clubs.

Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain both wanted to sign him, but Diomande only fancied one destination. Real Madrid emerged as the clear frontrunners for his signature, although negotiations with Leipzig were anything but straightforward.

Weeks of back-and-forth between the two clubs finally ended in a deal worth £106.84m earlier this month. Diomande had a relatively quiet World Cup, registering just the one assist in four games, but that didn't hurt his chances of getting his dream move to Jose Mourinho's side.

Now the winger has the unenviable task of justifying his price tag - just like the rest of the players on this list.

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