Transfer madness

Paul Pogba Juventus to Man United £89 million

The summer’s most long-running transfer saga concluded with France midfielder Pogba returning to former club United in a world-record move. Allowed to leave Old Trafford in 2012 after failing to win over Sir Alex Ferguson, the rangy 23-yearold midfielder with the dazzling haircuts and blistering shot returned as one of the biggest names in the game. Gonzalo Higuain Napoli to Juventus €90 million

Italian champions Juventus dealt a huge blow to their domestic rivals when they signed the 28-year-old Argentina striker Higuain from Napoli, their closest rivals in Serie A last season. Juve paid Napoli close to the full amount of Higuain’s €94.7 million buyout clause for the former Real Madrid player, who broke the long-standing Serie A scoring record with 36 goals last season. Signed on a five-year deal, Higuain came off the bench to score the winner against Fiorentina on his competitive debut. John Stones Everton to Man City £47.5 million

Elegant centreback Stones, 22, became the biggest signing of the Pep Guardiola era at City after joining from Everton in a deal that made him the second most expensive defender in history behind David Luiz. The former Barnsley player had a difficult final season at Everton, but has looked assured in his early outings for City, regularly stepping up into midfield with the ball. Joao Mario Lisbon to Inter Milan €45 million

It has been a summer of rebuilding at Inter, who have a new coach in Frank de Boer and several big-money new signings. The biggest is Joao Mario, who arrived at the San Siro from Sporting fresh from winning Euro 2016 with Portugal. Sporting revealed the transfer fee was €45 million and the player, a Sporting youth product, was unveiled to Inter fans before last Sunday’s Serie A match against Palermo.