PSG overtakes Real Madrid
©TM/IMAGO
Ligue 1 has received a superlative market value update and Paris Saint-Germain is responsible for it. The Champions League winner is now the only club to have five players in its ranks with a market value of over 100 million and is the most valuable team in the world at 1.37 billion euros. In other spheres there is runner-up RC Lens, who has almost tripled their squad value over the course of the season, while France’s surprise top scorer has increased their market value fivefold.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia came from Naples in January 2025 for 80 million euros – a bargain, because what the Georgian winger has shown in recent months has been world-class. Thanks to its appreciation by 50 million to 140 million euros, “Kvaradonna” is among the global elite.
Ronan Caroff, Area Manager at TM France, says: “In Ligue 1, he was often spared in order to thrive in the Champions League. He was particularly outstanding in the knockout phase and collected seven goals and three assists in eight games. Over the entire season, he is the top scorer along with Mbappé and Kane with 16 goals. These performances had to lead to a significant increase in market value: with an increase of 50 million, he is almost on a par with Olise, which was upgraded to 150 million.”
Vitinha & Neves are the most valuable midfield duo in club football
The 1.83 meter tall winger shares first place among the most valuable players in Ligue 1 with his Portuguese teammates Vitinha and João Neves, who have each been upgraded by 30 million euros and break a twelve-year-old record. Market value expert Caroff says: “Now you can hardly look at one without the other. Over the entire season, their market value developments were identical: from 80 to 90 million in October, in the winter to 110 million and now 140 million – at the peak of their performance, they are going to the World Cup as the most valuable Portuguese.”
The duo overtakes Cristiano Ronaldo as the most valuable Portuguese player in market value history, which has been written since 2004. The former world footballer recorded his highest value in 2014 with 120 million euros.
Caroff on the most valuable midfield duo in club football: “Neves always impresses with decisive contributions to the goal in the most important moments, such as his spectacular header in the 5-4 win against Bayern. Vitinha is also fascinating with his control of the game and dominance in midfield, although he hardly got any breaks throughout the season: 49 appearances, 3,951 minutes – only Zaïre-Emery has more minutes at PSG.”
The 100 million quartet is completed by Désiré Doué (+30 to 120 million). PSG paid transfer fees of 288 million euros for its five most valuable players – today they have a cumulative market value of 640 million euros. The entire Paris squad cost 822.5 million euros and, after six downgrades and eleven upgrades, rose by 157.5 million to 1.37 billion euros. The Parisians have moved past Arsenal (1.23 billion), Manchester City (1.31 billion) and Real Madrid (1.34 billion). The Gunners’ squad cost 924 million euros in transfer fees, Man City paid 1.1 billion euros and the Royals “only” 710 million euros – excluding hand money for free transfer players (for purchasing value statistics).
RC Lens increases squad value from 84.7 million to 234.6 million euros
Away from the capital, RC Lens made the biggest sporting headlines in France this season. With a squad value of 84.7 million euros after the summer transfer period, they were in a neck-and-neck race with the all-powerful Parisians for a long time and increased their own value to 234.6 million euros. As a result of this update, there is an increase of 41 million euros, and the biggest increase in the team of the runner-up and cup winner goes to the most valuable Lens professional Mamadou Sangaré. The Malian midfielder came from SK Rapid in Vienna for €8 million in the summer of 2025 and could be back on the move after just one year.
“The hype surrounding Sangaré never ends. He is one of the main reasons for the first cup win in the club’s history and qualification for the Champions League. Despite a contract that runs until 2030, there are likely to be numerous interested parties this summer. Bidding – especially between clubs from the Premier League – could even push the transfer fee above its new market value,” says Ligue 1 expert Caroff.
Other big winners in coach Pierre Sage’s team are defenders Ismaëlo Ganiou (+10 to 20 million) and Malang Sarr (+5 to 20 million). The latter came from Chelsea on a free transfer in 2024 and, after two unsatisfactory loans in Lens, found the form of his life at the age of 27. Homegrown Ganiou started the season with a market value of one million euros and is now one of France’s most valuable U21 talents in central defense.
Market value winners Barco and Endrick earn their World Cup tickets
Valentín Barco in Strasbourg experienced a similar development to Sangaré in Lens. Brought from Brighton last summer for 10 million euros, he secured a regular place straight away and contributed twelve scorer points in 43 games. Area manager Caroff says about the 21-year-old midfield talent, who is being upgraded from 35 million to 40 million euros:
“It has not yet been officially confirmed, but Barco is expected to join Strasbourg’s parent club, Chelsea FC, in the summer. He was one of the central players in this team, almost indispensable, and was sorely missed when he was sidelined with an ankle injury – Strasbourg lost four of the six games he missed. His commitment and influence in midfield will be greatly appreciated by a Blues team looking to make up for the disappointment of missing out on European competition.” Barco made his debut for the Argentine national team in March 2024. After that, he was sometimes called up and sometimes not, before he celebrated his second international match with an assist in the 5-0 win against Zambia in April 2026 and is now part of the World Cup squad.
Endrick also earned a ticket for the World Cup in the second half of the season as a loan player from Olympique Lyon. After the 19-year-old Brazilian played virtually no role at Real Madrid in the first half of the season, he blossomed at OL. The center forward, who was involved in 16 goals in 21 games for Lyon, increased his market value from 25 million to 35 million euros in March and now to 40 million euros.
Caroff says: “Endrick’s six-month loan to Lyon had its ups and downs, but in the end it was a real liberation. He has his self-confidence back and is going to the World Cup, which was by no means foreseeable at the start of the season. It remains unclear what role Real Madrid envisages for him in the coming season, but this development has definitely aroused the interest of other top clubs in Europe.”
Lepaul’s rise: from the 3rd division to top scorer in Ligue 1
A center forward, Estéban Lepaul from Stade Rennes, who played in the French third division in 2023/24, has an even better rating than Endrick. In 2025/26, the 26-year-old Frenchman was crowned top scorer in Ligue 1 with 21 goals and increased his market value from 20 million to 35 million euros.
France expert Caroff on Lepaul’s fairytale rise: “Lepaul is a late starter in whom Rennes had complete confidence. Spending 15 million on a player profile of this type was a big bet for a team aiming to return to Europe – and it paid off. After two match days, Rennes bought him from Angers, for whom he scored nine goals in his debut season in Ligue 1. He finished this season particularly strongly: with With twelve goals since the beginning of February, he secured his club a place in the Europa League after a two-year break. With a contract until 2029 and the will to prove himself in the European Cup, Lepaul could stay in Rennes. His performances will certainly attract wealthy clubs. Lepaul has increased his market value fivefold in just twelve months and is one of the biggest winners of the 2025/26 Ligue 1 season.
This is how transfer market market values work
The transfer market market values are created taking into account various pricing models as well as a strong involvement of the transfer market community, which deals with the values in detailed discussions. The transfer market market values cannot generally be equated with the transfer fees actually paid.
The goal is not to predict a price, but rather an expected value. When determining the market value, both individual transfer modalities and situational conditions are relevant to a certain extent. Examples of this are listed here. Transfermarkt does not use an algorithm (for detailed market value definition).
