The Loudest Transfer Window in Modern Football History: Messi, Ronaldo, Ramos and Others Move Clubs

The 2021 summer transfer window closes in a couple of days, yet an announcement of Mbappé's move is still expected.

The 2021 summer football transfer window was remarkable not only for its huge number of transfers, but also for the fact that the moves were mostly made by far from the least prominent figures in football.

Two pillars of modern football, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, changed clubs they had played for for many years. We also tell you about other prominent transfers of this summer.

Argentine forward Lionel Messi left Barcelona, where he played for 17 years and won the title of the world's best player more than once, and joined French club Paris Saint-Germain.

Both Barcelona and Messi did not want to break ties and even reached an agreement on a new contract, but they could not sign it due to the financial difficulties the club faced.

Another high-profile transfer this time involved Cristiano Ronaldo, who spent three full seasons at Juventus and returned to his first club, English Manchester United.

Previously, the Portuguese striker played for Manchester United at the very start of his club career, from 2003 to 2009.

One of the most prolific defenders in the world, Sergio Ramos, moved from Real Madrid to PSG and immediately caused a scandal.

Other players at the club accepted him into the squad without much enthusiasm, as the Spaniard showed provocative and arrogant behavior toward other players from the first days.

In addition, PSG acquired the best goalkeeper of Euro 2020, Italy national team keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Even so, he is not guaranteed a place in the starting lineup, as the Parisian club has as many as eight goalkeepers under contract, and the main contender for the starting spot is Keylor Navas. 

From Borussia Dortmund, 21-year-old midfielder Jadon Sancho moved to Manchester United for €85 million following a general agreement between the clubs.

28-year-old French defender Raphaël Varane signed a contract with Manchester United until June 2025. Previously, he played for Real Madrid starting from 2011.

Austrian defender David Alaba joined Real Madrid on a free transfer after his agreement with Bayern Munich expired.

At the same time, at the transfer presentation Alaba kissed the crest of his new club, which surprised Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer, with whom Alaba had played since 2009. 

Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish moved to Manchester City. The player has already signed a personal contract with the club until 2026, and the transfer fee amounted to €117.5 million.

Chelsea, meanwhile, announced the return of forward Romelu Lukaku to the squad. Inter will receive €115 million in compensation for the Belgian. The forward played for Chelsea in 2011-2014, but made only 15 appearances and did not score a single goal.

Also, persistent rumors have recently circulated about the move of Frenchman Kylian Mbappé from PSG to Real Madrid. According to sources at Cuatro TV channel, the forward has already said goodbye to his PSG teammates and shared with them that he is moving to the Madrid club.

Also according to sources at Marca, PSG agreed the transfer of Mbappé to Real through electronic correspondence for €170 million plus €10 million in bonuses.