The biggest underpays of the summer 2026 transfer window so far have been for Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Spurs players.
These are the biggest underpays of the Premier League summer so far, according to our lovely friends at Transfermarkt.
10) Luka Vuskovic – Brighton underpaid by £5.3m
(Transfermarkt valuation of £51.3m and transfer fee of £46m)
With a Spurs overpay comes a Brighton underpay, although the Seagulls were made to pay a club-record fee for Jan Paul van Hecke’s replacement as he and Vuskovic crossed paths in transfer transit.
Brighton are liable – and would be delighted – to pay another £4m in add-ons if the transfer goes well. And when it comes to Brighton, they tend to.
Spurs making a £34m profit within a year on someone who never even played for them is not bad business, by the way.
9) Aleksandar Stankovic – Inter underpaid by £7.7m
(Transfermarkt valuation of £27.3m and transfer fee of £19.6m)
Having missed out on a first-team debut in eight years at Inter, it was decided that Stankovic should fly the nest to Club Brugge. But that sale was only sanctioned if Inter could retain a buy-back clause – which the Serie A champions duly activated a year later.
Stankovic returns as the Belgian Young Professional Footballer of the Year and a title winner in his own right.
8) Piero Hincapie – Arsenal underpaid by £8.2m
(Transfermarkt valuation of £42.7m and transfer fee of £34.5m)
Arsenal were convinced they had pulled off a ‘masterstroke’ in capturing Hincapie on loan with an obligation to buy. A Premier League winner’s medal and Champions League final appearance suggests they might have been right.
The fee was worth it for the Fabian Hurzeler fume alone.
7) Hayden Hackney – Everton underpaid by £10.8m
(Transfermarkt valuation of £27.3m and transfer fee of £16.5m)
“As soon as I spoke to the manager, as soon as I knew Everton were interested, to be honest, it was always going to be Everton.”
Hackney counted Crystal Palace and Manchester United among his suitors, but David Moyes’ track record of developing Championship players weighed in Everton’s favour.
The Championship Player of the Season could eventually cost £24m. Probably not if he emulates Tyler Dibling.
6) Rasmus Hojlund – Napoli underpaid by £13.3m
(Transfermarkt valuation of £51.3m and transfer fee of £38m)
Manchester United will humbly suggest they did well getting more than half their money back on a striker who scored 26 goals in 95 games.
And ultimately he had to go after disrespecting Samuel Luckhurst.
5) Mason Greenwood – Fenerbahce underpaid by £13.7m
(Transfermarkt valuation of £46.9m and transfer fee of £33.2m)
Manchester United have also happily banked a further £10.5m this summer from the sale of a player who hasn’t represented them since January 2022.
It is no mystery why Greenwood’s value as a footballer might not be commensurate with the amount clubs are willing to pay to sign him. His 48 goals in 81 games for Marseille was enough for Fenerbahce to look past any concerns.
4) Bilal El Khannouss – Stuttgart underpaid by £14.5m
(Transfermarkt valuation of £29.9m and transfer fee of £15.4m)
Another loan with an obligation to buy, Stuttgart sampled El Khannouss after Leicester’s Premier League relegation, and were more than happy with the results as the Foxes slipped into League One.
3) Jakub Kiwior – Porto underpaid by £15.4m
(Transfermarkt valuation of £29.9m and transfer fee of £14.5m)
Arsenal are notoriously poor at extracting maximum value in their sales, so getting less than half their money’s worth for Kiwior should not surprise.
There was, in fairness, a £2m loan fee, an extra £4.3m due in potential add-ons, and another £2m guaranteed if Porto do come to sell Kiwior in the future.
But it does feel like Chelsea would have got £40m for an experienced, versatile, peak-aged centre-half.
2) Karim Adeyemi – Barcelona underpaid by £15.4m
(Transfermarkt valuation of £34.1m and transfer fee of £18.7m)
Taking advantage of a dwindling contract length and diminished Borussia Dortmund role, Barcelona swept in to give Anthony Gordon some company in the Nou Camp arrivals lounge in the form of Adeyemi.
1) Donyell Malen – Roma underpaid by £16.8m
(Transfermarkt valuation of £38.4m and transfer fee of £21.6m)
And poor Malen. The forward had his nose put out of joint by Rashford in the same month he joined Villa, then was gone a year later on loan with an obligation for Roma to buy.
The Italians were more than happy to do so after he scored 15 goals in 20 games in the second half of 2025/26 to bring Roma to the Champions League dance again.
