Lewandowski, Casemiro and the biggest stars to leave their leagues this summer

Karan Tejwani

2 Sept 2022 11:05 BST
4 min read

Robert Lewandowski Barcelona 2022-23 — © ProShots

The summer transfer window came to a close last night after period of high spending – especially in the Premier League – and some high-profile transfers.

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While players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar were linked with exits from their respective clubs, they stayed on, but other big names were on the move.

Some deals were agreed early in the window, but others were left late, and it contributed to an exciting array of moves right until the end.

So, with the window now shut, who were the biggest stars to leave their respective leagues and chase new opportunities elsewhere?

Haaland, Mane amongst stars to leave

Starting with the Bundesliga, the German top-flight lost two of its biggest stars and goal-getters in Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland.

Lewandowksi made his desire to leave Bayern Munich clear just after last season ended, and he found his way to Barcelona and La Liga, and has made a flying start.

Haaland, meanwhile, was always expected to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer and made a quick move to Manchester City – the first high-profile transfer of the summer.

Similarly, Liverpool lost a Premier League icon in Sadio Mane, as he swapped Anfield for the Allianz Arena, going to Bayern Munich as the German giants looked for a replacement for Lewandowski.

Another flying winger in Raphinha left the Premier League too, as Leeds United sold the Brazilian to Barcelona, despite interest from within the league from Arsenal and Chelsea.

A successful debut in the #DFBPokal for Sadio Mané ⚽🎉#VIKFCB pic.twitter.com/wZi9wGpdnr
— The DFB-Pokal (@DFBPokal_EN) September 1, 2022

In Ligue 1, the biggest export was Aurelien Tchouameni, who swapped Monaco for Real Madrid and for a long time, was the most expensive transfer of the summer until countryman Antony topped it.

Lucas Paqueta was another big sale, as he too went to the Premier League with West Ham United, while others such as Sven Botman and Amadou Onana from Lille went to Newcastle and West Ham respectively.

Luckily for Ligue 1, their biggest star, Kylian Mbappe, has stayed on, despite heavy interest and a very close move to Real Madrid early in the window.

In La Liga, Real Madrid lost midfield stalwart Casemiro, having seen the player win five Champions League honours and being a part of a magnificent midfield with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Philippe Coutinho made returns to the Premier League from Barcelona, joining Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively.

Meanwhile, one of the league’s biggest sales was Alexander Isak, who swapped Real Sociedad for Newcastle United, as the English club broke their transfer record.

In Italy, Napoli lost two big talents as Kalidou Koulibaly swapped Naples for London and Chelsea while Fabian Ruiz earned a big move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Matthijs de Ligt also ended a tame tenure at Juventus as Bayern Munich came calling, allowing him to become the game’s most expensive defender ever in terms of combined transfer fees.