457 players updated 

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As part of the Ligue 1 market value update, Transfermarkt has updated 457 players. The biggest winners have once again been young up-and-coming stars, further underlining Ligue 1 status of Europe’s biggest talent producer. Indeed, while designated Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé remains at the top with a market value of €180m, the likes of wonderkids Bradley Barcola (PSG), Leny Yoro (Lille), Désiré Doué (Stade Rennais) are among the biggest winners of the update. 

Whether Doué will remain long in Ligue 1, however, remains to be seen. “With Rennes missing out on their first European competition in six years, Doué is bound to leave his childhood club for a bigger destination,” Area Manager France Ronan Caroff said. The winger has scored four goals and six assists 43 games across all competitions and regained his position in the starting XI under new head coach Julien Stéphan. “As a result, scouts from all the European top clubs have been in attendance. PSG and Leverkusen are among the teams scouting him, but Rennes won’t sell for any price and use the €60m received from Man City for Jérémy Doku as a benchmark.” With that in mind, Doué sees his market value increase by €10m to now €30m. 

Also up by €10m is Lille center-back Yoro. “His maturity on the pitch despite his young age is praised by teammates, coaches, and observers alike and has already attracted the interest of the best clubs in the world, such as Real Madrid and PSG,” Caroff said. “Lille’s president Olivier Létang has already stated that he will want at least €100m for Yoro. That might be a fantasy, but it underlines the status of the 18-year-old defender at the club.” The €10m increase to €50m in market value ties Yoro with teammate Jonathan David. The two are now the most valuable non-PSG players in the league. “But for how long?”

Ligue 1 market values – Several downgrades at PSG – Barcola up

At PSG one young player stood out in particular: Bradley Barcola. After a slow start, Barcola finished the season with five goals and nine assists in 42 games. As a result, his market value increased by €10m to now €50m. “The March update already highlighted that he has become a different player from the one that struggled at the start of the season,” Caroff said. “Barcola has built on that form, scoring goals and assists and rarely leaving the lineup. With Mbappé leaving, PSG will count on young players like him. There is no doubt that together with Warren Zaïre-Emery, Barcola is a big part of the rebuild.” 

The rebuild at PSG will be fascinating. “With Mbappé leaving, PSG will have to rethink big parts of their team,” Caroff said. Indeed, PSG have seen both ups and downs for this update. Players like Barcola and Vitinha (+€5m to €50m) are on the rise. But the likes of Randal Kolo Muani, Manuel Ugarte (both -€15m to €45m), and Lucas Hernández (-€5m to €40m) have seen their market value drop. “After spending the entire season above the €1 billion squad value mark, PSG now drop below it, and with Mbappé leaving, another €180m will disappear, seeing the club drop as low as around €800m.”  

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).