PSG dominate 

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Ligue 1 often receives an unfair reputation but it’s the leading top five league for developing youngsters and also home to the best side in the world. After defeating Arsenal in the Champions League final in May, PSG were crowned champions of Europe for the second consecutive season. Luis Enrqiue’s men are comfortably the best team in the world and the Parisians have been dominant in Ligue 1 since their acquisition by Qatari Sports Investment.

PSG have won 12 of the last 14 titles to overtake Saint-Etienne as the most successful club in Ligue 1 history with 14 titles. Marseille and Lyon are the other two main superpowers in French football in a league where phenomenal talent is nurtured. Ligue 1 clubs hand more minutes to U21 players than any other top five league and there’s an abundance of supremely gifted youngsters breaking through. With the transfer window now open, we’ve analysed the record signings by French clubs. You can view the full top 100 list of most expensive signings in the link below – which will update throughout the summer – and we’ve closer analysed the top 20.

Top 20 record Ligue 1 signings

Neymar’s €222 million move to PSG from Barcelona in 2017 is the record Ligue 1 transfer and still the most expensive signing in history. The Brazilian scored 118 goals and 80 assists in 173 games, winning five consecutive titles. Unsurprisingly, PSG dominate the top twenty list with 18 of their transfers featuring and they occupy all top ten spaces. As the graphic below illustrates, Kylian Mbappé’s €180m move to the Paris club from Monaco in 2018 ranks second.

Those are the only two Ligue 1 transfers to eclipse the €100m landmark with Randal Kolo Muani ranking third at €95m. Monaco are the only other club with signings in the top 20 list; James Rodríguez in 18th (€45m) and Radamel Falcao in 19th (€43m). Marseille’s record signing is Vitinha at €32m with Moussa Niakhate Lyon’s most expensive transfer at €31.9m.