Transfers can sometimes fly under the radar, particularly if you are focused on the Premier League but clubs in Germany, Spain, France, Portugal and others making deals, even for famous players.
Here’s a look at a number of transfers of note you have missed this summer…
Att1...
Injury limited Nicolas Gonzalez to only 15 league appearances for Stuttgart last season, but he did go to the Copa America with a triumphant Argentina this summer.
The 23-year-old – who was also linked with Tottenham and Brighton – had earlier impressed in 2.Bundesliga and his relative lack of top flight experience didn’t stop Fiorentina from paying a big fee.
Bayern Munich signed Omar Richards to a long-term contract when his Reading deal expired in June, which sees the left-back trade the Championship for the Champions League.
Richards has been handed the number three shirt at the Allianz Arena, suggesting he will be given a significant first-team role in competition with Alphonso Davies.
Half a season at Newcastle was an unfortunate blip and no more on the record of French winger Florian Thauvin, who starred at Marseille ever since he returned to the club in 2016.
But Thauvin now takes on a new challenge altogether, swapping the familiarity of his native France for a brand new continent, joining former international colleague Andre-Pierre Gignac at Tigres in Mexico.
Mario Balotelli spent last season playing Serie B football with Monza, making it his first season outside of a national top flight since he was a 15-year-old with first club Lumezzane.
Now, however, the Italian forward has joined Adana Demirspor, who have been promoted back to the Turkish Super Lig for 2021/22.
Another striker to have joined Adana Demirspor this summer is Britt Assombalonga – who cost Middlesbrough a club record £15m in 2017 – following his release from the Riverside Stadium.
Although born in Kinshasa and a DR Congo international, the 28-year-old has lived all but a few months of his life in England and heading abroad represents a big new step.
Marseille have paid big money to bring former Roma midfielder Gerson back to Europe, having left Italy in 2019 to join Flamengo, where he won the Copa Libertadores later that year.
At 24, Gerson is still yet to make his senior international debut for Brazil, but strong performances for an ambitious Marseille this season could force him into contention for the 2022 World Cup.
Mamadou Sakho cost Liverpool a sizeable £18m in 2013 and Crystal Palace around £26m in 2017, but now the centre-back has returned home to France.
The former Paris Saint-Germain captain has joined 2011/12 Ligue 1 champions Montpellier as a free agent following his release from Palace at the end of his contract.
Carles Alena started the 2020/21 season wearing Barcelona’s iconic number six shirt, but now he has completed a permanent transfer to Getafe for around €5m.
His boyhood club retain a buyback clause and first refusal on any future offer, so it is not necessarily all over for him at Camp Nou. Barça are also entitled to 50% of the transfer fee if he is sold elsewhere.
45 goals in two season with Eintracht Frankfurt was enough to convince RB Leipzig to shell out more than €20m on Andre Silva, who has found his feet once more after a disappointing spell at AC Milan.
The 25-year-old Portugal international will be tasked with scoring the goals to get Leipzig closer to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga after finishing second last season.
Louis van Gaal was determined to sign Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman for Manchester United in 2014, interest which only stopped when the player suffered an ACL injury.
Strootman joined Marseille in 2018 and spent the second half of last season on loan at Genoa. He is stating in Serie A for 2021/22, having joined Cagliari on a season-long deal.
Just over two months after his summer release from Crystal Palace was confirmed, Dutch left-back Patrick van Aanholt started his next chapter by joining Turkish giants Galatasaray.
Apart from a two-year loan at Vitesse Arnhem, the 30-year-old has exclusively played in England since he joined Chelsea’s youth academy at the age of 17.
Boulaye Dia’s goal record last season for Reims earned him the attention of West Ham, but it was Europa League winners Villarreal who won the €15m race for his signature.
24-year-old Dia will replace Carlos Bacca at El Madrigal and will have the opportunity to play in the Champions League football for the first time.
You may remember the news from March that Kieran Gibbs was due to join MLS club Inter Miami when his contract with West Brom expired this summer. Well that has now happened.
The former Arsenal left-back officially joined his new team on 1 July, having not actually played for West Brom since January.
With Gianluigi Donnarumma leaving AC Milan at the end of his contract and opting to sign with Paris Saint-Germain, the Rossoneri moved quick to snap up Mike Maignan as a replacement.
Trained by PSG as a youth player and Lille’s number one since 2017, Maignan won Ligue 1 last season and has every chance of being France’s long-term starter soon.
Florida-born Konrad de la Fuente only played three times for Barcelona’s first-team but has already played senior international football for the United States.
The winger was still a teenager until recently and Marseille considered €3m a gamble worth taking on a youngster with plenty of potential.
Berlin-born Kevin-Prince Boateng has gone back to where it all began, joining boyhood club Hertha after leaving Serie B side Monza, where he was a teammate of Mario Balotelli last season.
Boateng joined Hertha’s youth ranks at the age of seven, was 18 when he made his first-team debut and was only 20 when he moved to Tottenham in 2007. Now 34, he is finally home again.
PSG poached Mitchel Bakker from Ajax when he was only 19. But despite opting to sell to Bayer Leverkusen for an initial €10m, the French giants retain a buy-back clause.
Even now, Bakker has only recently turned 21 and is a player whose development is worth following. He played 40 times in all competitions for PSG last season alone.
Colombian striker Carlos Bacca had an impressive goal record for Club Brugge, Sevilla, AC Milan and Villarreal between 2012 and 2018 and has now joined his fifth European club in Granada.
A bit of a late bloomer, Bacca will turn 35 just a few weeks into the new La Liga season and so this could be one of the last moves of his career.
John Lundstram was a must have for FPL players during his two years in the Premier League with Sheffield United. Following his release at Bramall Lane, the midfielder has moved to Scotland.
At Rangers, Lundstram will have the chance to play European football and challenge for domestic trophies under the management of fellow scouser Steven Gerrard.
Pau Lopez will have the chance to reignite his career on loan at Marseille, where veteran club captain and current number one Steve Mandanda turned 36 earlier this year.
The goalkeeper joined Roma in 2019 but didn’t have the best time in 2020/21 after starting the season on the bench and later getting injured.
A lot has happened in the career of Roberto Soldado since his failed move to Tottenham came to an end in 2015, but the now 36-year-old has arguably never rediscovered his best form.
Having starred for Valencia between 2010 and 2013, earning his big money move to Spurs off the back of his form there, Soldado is now back in his home city, but this time at local rivals Levante.
Joao Mario started his youth career at Porto, moved onto Sporting CP, where he made his professional breakthrough, and now completes his set of Portugal’s big three.
Mario was contracted to former club Inter for five years after a €45m transfer in the wake of Euro 2016. He also briefly played for West Ham during a 2018 loan.
After struggling to make an impact on loan at Leicester last season, Cengiz Under will have another chance to try and rediscover his best form at Marseille this season instead.
He enjoyed a breakout season as a teenager at Istanbul Basaksehir in 2016/17 and then had a strong debut year at Roma, but he hasn’t been able to hit those levels since.
Justin Kluivert only recently turned 22 but will be lining up for his fourth senior club this season after joining Nice on loan from parent club Roma. Ajax and RB Leipzig are the others.
Son of Dutch legend Patrick, the winger is yet to replicate his father’s success by the same age, although time is still on his side to have a decent career.
An injury-ravaged career ever since a £22m transfer to Manchester City in 2013 has always limited Stevan Jovetic’s once enormous potential.
Having already played in England, Italy, Spain and France, the Montenegrin forward now completes his tour of Europe’s top five leagues by joining Bundesliga club Hertha.
Once tipped for superstardom when he joined Arsenal soon after turning 2018, Japanese winger Ryo Miyaichi has returned home after spending the last 10 years in Europe.
His six seasons at cult German club St Pauli were ultimately ravaged by injury and Miyaichi will now hope a move to Yokohama F. Marinos in the J1 League can be a fresh start for him.
For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!
