Revisiting the 10 most expensive January signings of 2024 one year on

The January window can be a bit of a mixed bag for transfers as clubs will often have to pay over the odds to get their main targets over the line.

But January 2024 was slightly different, as most clubs held fire and few major moves were made across Europe.

Barcelona, Tottenham and Bayern Munich were among the biggest spenders in January 2024 and we’ve checked in on the 10 most expensive transfers from that window one year on.

10. Malick Fofana – €19.5million

After catching the eye at Gent, Fofana was signed by Ligue 1 heavyweights Lyon for €19.5million at the start of the last calendar year.

The 19-year-old winger has scored seven times this season, including four in the Europa League, and Lyon’s well-documented financial troubles means Fofana might be on the move again soon.

9. Gabriel Moscardo – €20million

A teenage defensive midfielder with 20-odd senior appearances under his belt, Moscardo was instantly loaned back to Corinthians after being signed by PSG.

He’s playing in Europe now, but on loan at Ligue 1 club Reims to continue his development. Unfortunately, Moscardo has only played 105 minutes and could be recalled by PSG this January.

8. Lucas Beraldo – €20million

Part of PSG’s shift from signing global superstars to talented youngsters, Beraldo arrived in the French capital from Sao Paulo in January 2024 and went straight into Luis Enrique’s first team.

He’s made 11 appearances for PSG this season, scoring once, and looks set for a bright future in the game.

7. Adam Wharton – €21million

Wharton explicitly mentioned the development of Championship gems such as Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise in his justification behind joining Crystal Palace from Blackburn last January.

An excellent debut half-season at Selhurst Park saw him become the best thing since sliced bread and earned the midfielder a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad.

The second half of the calendar year has been more difficult due to several injuries and Palace’s inconsistent form, but Wharton remains a highly-valued player on the radar of the Premier League elite.

READ: Where are they now? The England U20 XI from Adam Wharton’s debut in 2023

6. Marcos Leonardo – €22million

Without quite producing Neymar or Endrick numbers, Marcos Leonardo nevertheless underlined his prodigious excellence over four years in Santos to catch the eye of teams across Europe.

Benfica took the plunge with a €22million deal at the start of 2024 and scored seven goals in 21 appearances in the second half of last season.

While many expected Benfica to cash in, few expected the Portuguese side to sell Leonardo to Al-Hilal after just six months in Europe. The 21-year-old has scored four times in seven appearances for his new club.

READ NEXT: 8 big January signings who arrived & immediately won silverware at their new club

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the 20 most expensive January transfers in Premier League history?

5. Renan Lodi – €23million

After a season on loan with Nottingham Forest, Lodi joined Marseille in the summer of 2023 but quickly moved on again despite lining up as a regular in France.

Al-Hilal paid €23million for the left-back’s services and Lodi won the league and cup double in his first half-season in Saudi Arabia.

4. Eljif Elmas – €24million

With a Scudetto and Coppa Italia to show for four-and-a-half seasons of consistent excellence in Italy, Elmas left Napoli with the best wishes of the club’s supporters and joined RB Leipzig.

Sadly, the North Macedonia international has been hugely underwhelming at Leipzig and all six of his appearances in 2024-25 have come off the bench. Several Bundesliga clubs want to rescue him this January.

3. Radu Dragusin – €25million

Tottenham saw off interest from Bayern Munich to sign Dragusin, with the Romania international joining the club for a cool €25million from Genoa.

His time at Spurs has been the definition of a mixed bag, receiving plenty of game time but producing the kind of erratic performances that have marked the club’s 2024.

With injuries to Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, Dragusin will continue to start for Spurs but there are questions over his suitability to the Premier League.

2. Sacha Boey – €30million

With injuries consistently hampering Bayern Munich last January and no right-back signed to replace Benjamin Pavard the previous summer, Boey arrived from Galatasaray for a fee of €30million.

He was embarrassed in their hammering by Bayer Leverkusen shortly after his arrival and the 24-year-old has barely featured since due to a succession of injuries.

Some Bayern fans have called Boey a panic-buy. Only time will tell to see if they are right.

1. Vitor Roque – €30million

Back in January, Barcelona acted to save their ailing La Liga title retention bid by fast-tracking highly-rated Brazilian forward Vitor Roque’s €30million move from Athletico Paranaense.

In hindsight, it did neither the player nor the club much good as he looked too raw to make an instant impact in a new continent.

Spending the 2024-25 campaign on loan at Real Betis, Roque has four goals and two assists in 15 La Liga appearances.

But his long-term future at Barcelona remains uncertain and the player has been linked with a move to either Tottenham or Newcastle.