Thirty-four years ago, a £13m transfer for Gianluigi Lentini caused national outrage in Italy—newspapers called it “obscene” and the Vatican’s official newspaper described it as “an offence against the dignity of work.” This summer, that fee would barely register among the Premier League’s biggest deals.
Chelsea have agreed a club record £117m for Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, Manchester City paid Nottingham Forest £116m for Elliot Anderson, and Tottenham spent £100m on Sandro Tonali. It is the first transfer window in Premier League history to produce three £100m-plus signings—with weeks still to go before deadline day on 1 September. During the 2025 summer window English top-flight clubs spent a record £3bn.
“Premier League sees record £117m transfer for Morgan Rogers as Carrick demands more signings at Manchester United.”
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire says one record fee quickly influences the next. “It sets a benchmark,” he said. “Forest wanted to be close to the record level because they felt Elliot Anderson was a critical player, a player very much in demand. We’ve then seen that surpassed by the Morgan Rogers fee—only slightly—but it allows the club to say, ‘This is the record English signing.’ So there’s an element of bragging rights involved.”
Arsenal, who had identified Rogers as one of their leading targets, explored a deal but refused to meet Villa’s asking price. The episode shows how quickly the market can move. Part of the answer lies in supply and demand: Premier League clubs must register at least eight homegrown players, creating fierce competition for a relatively small pool.
Meanwhile, Manchester United boss Michael Carrick remains determined to sign another midfielder this summer. United have already added Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos for a combined £85m from Aston Villa and Chelsea, but Carrick wants a third after the departure of Casemiro. The Red Devils had agreed a deal for Atalanta’s Ederson, only to pull the plug. Carrick is also targeting a left-back, with Newcastle’s Lewis Hall and Fulham’s Antonee Robinson identified. However, Newcastle—having lost Tonali and Anthony Gordon this summer—will not be keen on selling another key player; Hall is under contract until 2029. Robinson, 29, is slightly older than United’s preferred profile.
Speaking after United’s opening pre-season defeat against Wrexham, Carrick praised Santos: “There were good signs from Andrey on his first one, he’s getting in the rhythm and feel of it again, so it was good to see him in a red shirt.” With the transfer window still open, the question is whether Carrick will get his third midfielder—and at what price.