With more than £2bn spent in Europe’s top five leagues already, here are some of this summer’s best low-cost permanent deals
With so many big-name players out of contract, this has been a summer packed with heavyweight free transfers. Juventus have played their part, bringing Paul Pogba back and also recruiting Ángel Di María to sprinkle stardust on an underachieving squad. Dybala, meanwhile, saw his time at Juve end in acrimonious fashion. Having been linked with Inter and several Premier League clubs, the forward has instead signed for Roma. He has accepted a reduced salary boosted by bonuses and has ingratiated himself with fans by declining to wear Francesco Totti’s old No 10 shirt. After a promising first season under José Mourinho, Roma are taking a gamble on the Argentinian, 28, firing them back into Italy’s elite. Next summer, they will have to renegotiate his contract or face losing him through a €20m release clause. This is not a risk-free move for either party but a player who struggled with playing second fiddle at Juve has the potential to shine as the main attraction in Rome.
