LaLiga market values: Vinicius Junior chases Haaland - First upgrade for Dembélé since 2019

In Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Vinicius Junior, only three footballers have a market value of €100 million or more. Now, the latter is approaching the top two, thanks to another increase in the most recent LaLiga update. A total of 117 players were revalued in the intermediary update in Spain, including FC Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembélé, whose market value curve is pointing upwards for the first time in over three and a half years.

At 22 years old, Vinicius Junior is displaying remarkable consistency and, at the start of the new season, picked up where he left off last campaign when he made his final breakthrough at Real Madrid, making the jump from €40m to €100m. “This year, he convinces as a decisive factor in a team that currently only knows how to win,” said Tobias Blaseio, data administrator Transfermarkt Spain. “His potential has been recognised and assessed often enough. As he exploits all his possibilities on a permanent basis, his market value continues to rise steeply.”

Five goals and four assists in the first nine games of the new season were some of the factors that led to the upgrade to €120m. The gap between Mbappé and Haaland is now only €40m and €30m, respectively.

Next generation at Real Madrid: Tchouameni and Valverde on the up

Also going up by €20m is teammate Aurélien Tchouameni. The 22-year-old Frenchman arrived in Madrid for €80m from AS Monaco as the club’s most expensive signing of the summer. “That Tchouameni will let people forget about Casemiro's departure that quickly was not necessarily expected,” Blaseio said. “However, thanks to his strong physique and technical abilities, we can see why Real Madrid were willing to pay such an enormous amount. As a result, his market value now matches his transfer fee.”

Tchouameni highlights that Los Blancos will have a seamless transition from the Toni Kroos and Luka Modric era to a promising future. Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde (+€10m to €80m) are also showing their quality in LaLiga and the Champions League. In the case of the 24-year-old Uruguayan, the depth in midfield means that he is rarely used in his regular position and instead often operates as a right-winger under head coach Carlo Ancelotti. With six goal contributions, Valverde has already surpassed his own numbers from the last two seasons.

“The generational change in midfield is in full swing,” Blaseio said. “The squad planning at Real Madrid is impressive, and Valverde now stands out time and again, with high-energy performances and an irrepressible will. It is hard to imagine the starting XI without him, and he could well be considered for captaincy in the future.” For Valverde, the market value goes up by €10m to €80m, surpassing Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez (€70m) as the most valuable Uruguayan.

LaLiga market values: Dembélé upgraded - Depay and Torres down

Overall, Real Madrid’s squad value goes up by €51m, the biggest increase in the league. Barcelona follow closely behind with an increase of €42m, just like in the league table, where the current gap is two points. Almost half of this increase is accounted for by Dembélé, who rises from €30m to €50m, his first upgrade since February 2019, when he reached his career high of €120m.

Under head coach Xavi, Dembélé had already shown improved performances in the second half of last season and now blossoms in Barça’s attack forming a dangerous partnership with new arrival Robert Lewandowski. “The contractual situation and sustained uncertainty about his recurring physical problems had recently limited his market value,” Blaseio said, explaining the delayed upgrade. “Athletically, however, things are now going well again, and physically he also seems to have finally gained stability.”

With 18 goals, the Blaugrana provide the best attack in the league, in which the two central midfielders Pedri (+€10m to €90m) and Gavi (+€10m to €70m) and new signing Raphinha (+€5m to €50m) also played their part. In contrast to the previous season, Memphis Depay and Ferran Torres have lost their regular places in the starting line-up. At the end of the transfer period, there were even rumours that the Dutchman, who scored 13 goals last season, would be released from his contract as Barcelona wanted to save his salary. Ultimately, Depay stayed but has only picked up 131 minutes of action, resulting in a drop of €10m to €25m in terms of market value.

How Transfermarkt market values work

The Transfermarkt market values are calculated, taking into account various pricing models. A major factor is the Transfermarkt community, whose members discuss and evaluate player market values in detail. In general, the Transfermarkt market values are not to be equated with transfer fees. 

The goal is not to predict a price but an expected value of a player in a free market. Both individual transfer modalities and situational conditions are relevant in determining market values. Examples of this are listed below. Transfermarkt does not use an algorithm (you can find the detailed market value definition here).