Manchester United have loosened the purse strings to sign Leny Yoro from Lille, beating competition from Real Madrid to land the coveted central defender.
The 18-year-old was named in Ligue 1’s Team of the Season for 2023-24 and appears to have a bright future in the game, with a France debut deemed a matter of when and not if.
Frenchmen have certainly made an impression on the Premier League but who have been the most expensive imports from across the channel?
Here are the five most expensive French players in Premier League history.
5. Christopher Nkunku – RB Leipzig to Chelsea, 2023 (£52m)
Christopher Nkunku’s goal record in Germany persuaded Chelsea to activate the French forward’s £52m release clause at RB Leipzig.
Nkunku had thrived in the Bundesliga since swapping the fringes of the PSG squad for Leipzig, where he scored 70 goals in 172 appearances and was named German football’s Player of the Season in 2021-22.
It’s nice to have you back among the goals, @c_nk97 ! ????#CFC | #BhaChe pic.twitter.com/GvbiaCYW5O
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 15, 2024
Chelsea’s capture of Nkunku breathed excitement around Stamford Bridge but his debut campaign proved to be a disaster. A pre-season knee issue delayed his debut and kickstarted an injury-hit season. He featured for just 477 minutes in the Premier League in 2023-24.
4. Leny Yoro – Lille to Manchester United (£52m)
Yoro’s arrival at Manchester United moves the centre-back into this list. He’s also the second-most expensive teenager in Premier League history, behind only Chelsea’s capture of Romeo Lavia from Southampton last summer.
United, however, are confident that the Frenchman can safeguard their future at centre-back with Yoro regarded as one of the most promising defenders in Europe. The list of interested clubs in his services this summer, which included Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool, is an indication of the regard in which he is held.
First look at Manchester United’s Leny Yoro in action ???????? pic.twitter.com/AUMyBuoCeb
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 20, 2024
3. Tangy Ndombele – Lyon to Tottenham (£54m)
Spurs smashed their transfer record to sign Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon in 2019.
The deal was considered a coup for the North Londoners with some of Europe’s superpowers credited with an interest in the midfielder, but the Frenchman failed to live up to either his price tag or potential.
Several Spurs managers tried and failed to coax the best from Ndombele, who despite boasting clear talent was unable to find consistency in his performances. After falling out of favour and two-and-a-half seasons out on loan, he was offloaded to Nice on a free transfer in 2024.
2. Wesley Fofana – Leicester to Chelsea (£70m)
Chelsea made Wesley Fofana the third-most expensive defender in Premier League history when agreeing a deal to sign the centre-back from Leicester.
Fofana had shown real promise after joining Leicester from Saint-Etienne and was named the Foxes’ Young Player of the Season in his debut campaign. An injury-hit second season followed but Chelsea were undeterred and spent an initial £70m to sign Fofana.
His two seasons with Chelsea have been dominated by cruel luck, however, with two serious keen injuries restricting him to just 15 league appearances. He did not feature during the 2023-24 campaign due to an ACL injury.
1. Paul Pogba – Juventus to Manchester United (£89m)
Paul Pogba holds the record as the most expensive French player in Premier League history, following his world-record move to Manchester United from Juventus.
Four seasons after leaving Manchester United on a free transfer, he returned for an £89m fee regarded as one of the best up-and-coming midfielders in Europe. Pogba won a Europa League and League Cup double in his debut season with the Red Devils but the club failed to build on that success. The following five seasons passed without silverware and Pogba was a regular target for critics due to his inconsistent performances.
???????? When you need a spark, @paulpogba can provide it#WorldCup #PL pic.twitter.com/oMV54ehThR
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 16, 2018
After six years with the club, he left to rejoin Juventus on a free transfer in 2022.
Read – The five most expensive Premier League transfers of the summer so far
See more – Ranking every Premier League club by their record signing
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