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It's no secret that the Premier League is the most lucrative competition in the world, and as a result, teams in the division have found themselves earning excessive amounts of money at the end of each campaign - not just from the league itself, but from TV rights, which is about £100m annually per club.
This means that money is spent carelessly: £50m here, £40m there - it's hardly a dent in the budgets of the high-profile clubs nowadays. Whilst some believe that money has ruined the competition in the league and made it unfair, others view the huge influx of money as exciting times for the division, as it means that even clubs who linger around the relegation zone can purchase fancy players to bolster their squad and survival hopes.
Whatever you might personally think of the staggering amounts of cash being thrown around, here are the top five most expensive signings of the summer thus far.
#5 Jorginho - £53m
Jorginho was on the verge of joining Manchester City mere days before it was announced that he had signed with Chelsea for £53m. The news shocked City fans, but didn't come as such a surprise to many others, seeing as his former manager, Maurizio Sarri, had already made the switch to Chelsea not long before.
The Mirror reported that Jorginho was left without much of a choice when it came to his view on the transfer, as Napoli allegedly told the Italian midfielder that they would make him sit out the remaining two years of his deal if he didn't join Chelsea.
Jorginho was supposedly part of the £53m joint package with Sarri, so Napoli couldn't allow for him to join Manchester City instead, who were apparently his preferred choice.
With that being said, Jorginho could be the perfect fit for Chelsea's style of play in the midfield. He's a classy player who can pick out a pass from just about anywhere on the pitch. His incisive through-balls will be a real thorn in the side of Chelsea's opposition this season, so you can expect to see him become a key player for the Blues.
All transfer figures from Transfermarkt.com
#4 Fred - £53.10m
Fred joined Manchester United on a five-year deal this summer from Shakhtar Donetsk. Transfermarkt has stated the final transfer value to be £53.10m, which puts the Brazilian in at fourth place on this list.
The 24-year-old was selected by Brazil to head to Russia for the World Cup, but ultimately failed to make an appearance as he failed to recover from an ankle injury.
Sky Sports reported that Mourinho had this to say about the new signing: "Fred will complement our other midfielders' qualities, which we need; his creative brain and passing vision will give us another dimension to our game."
#3 Naby Keita - £54m
Liverpool had agreed to sign Naby Keita in the summer of 2017 for approximately £54m, but the deal would not be finalised until the summer of 2018, as the contract stipulated that Keita was to stay for one more season at RB Leipzig.
Keita is a dynamic midfielder, capable of skipping past players thanks to his rapid turn-of-pace. He's also able to pick out sublime passes and create play at will. Keita's great agility and stamina are further factors as to why he is valued at so much, and there's a high chance that he'll turn out to be a key player for the Reds this season.
#2 Alisson - £56.25m
It was Manchester City who initially had the best chance of signing Alisson, but their bid of £34.7m in the summer of 2017 was ultimately rejected, as it was considered far too low. After City turned their attention elsewhere, Liverpool crept in and managed to swiftly wrap up a deal the following summer.
The cost of the transfer has been largely shrouded in conjecture and speculation. Transfermarkt report the fee to be around £56.25m, whereas other sports news outlets spout figures between £55m and £70m. As the figures in this article are all from Transfermarkt, we shall take their valuation as the truth, as they tend to be the most accurate with these things.
Alisson is a great signing for the Reds, especially with the recent comedy of errors from both Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius. It's about time they brought in somebody consistent.
#1 Riyad Mahrez - £61m
Manchester City broke their club record to sign Riyad Mahrez this summer, which is a testament to how crucial to a team Mahrez can be. Pep Guardiola is a big fan of players like Mahrez and it's easy to see why: his silky footwork and speed is something to be admired. He was also one of the main reasons why Leicester won the Premier League title in 2015/2016.
City had walked away from a deal for the Algerian in January after they were put off by Leicester's valuation of the winger. Leicester had demanded around £95m for Mahrez, which Guardiola swiftly walked away from, calling it "crazy".
