Atletico Madrid's forward Joao Felix attends his first training session with the team on July 8. Photo: IC
The summer transfer frenzy has kicked into full effect with the arrival of Antoine Griezmann at Barcelona from Atletico Madrid and more big names are expected to change clubs ahead of the new season beginning in Europe next month.
While the World Cup winner's transfer to Barcelona is significant - it is unlikely the club will also sanction a record move for Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar after meeting the Frenchman's release clause of 110 million euros - it is not record breaking.
Neymar holds the record for the most expensive player in the world while his strike partner in Paris, Griezmann's World Cup winning teammate Kylian Mbappe remains the most expensive Frenchman. One or both of those records may change when Paul Pogba leaves Manchester United, be that this summer or in the future.
The France captain is said to be wanted by Real Madrid where he would join the man who lifted the World Cup for France before him Zinedine Zidane.
He would also join up with a host of talent including the recently acquired Eden Hazard, who became the most expensive Belgian in history when he swapped Stamford Bridge for the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.
Hazard is not the only national record to have been broken during this window. Here is a look at the deal for the Belgian and the other players that have become their country's most expensive this summer.
Portuguese Joao Felix: 114.1m pounds At just 19 years old, the Portugal international has become the most expensive player in the country's history, taking the mantle of his national captain Cristiano Ronaldo in the process.
The teenager had a breakout season for Benfica scoring 20 goals and providing 11 assists across 43 appearances in his debut campaign with the first team. He is now the fifth most expensive player in history, costing more than the man he has come in to replace.
Felix has been given Griezmann's No.7 shirt and the burden of expectation when it comes to replacing the Frenchman's goals and assists. However, he was more effective for Benfica than Griezmann was for Atletico in 2018-19 season.
Benfica won nearly 77 percent of the matches that the teenager featured in last season, with a record of 0.46 goals and 0.25 assists per match - the former Atletico No.7 offered 0.44 goals and 0.21 assists per game.
Belgian Eden Hazard: 89m poundsChelsea's No.10 has not yet taken a shirt number at Real but with the reigning Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modric wearing that on his back it is expected that the Belgian will be handed either the No.11 worn by footballer non grata Gareth Bale or the No.7 of Mariano. Either way, Hazard is the new galactico on the block and will be Real's new "No.10" on the pitch as they look to get back on top both at home, where Barca beat them to the La Liga title again, and in Europe, where they lost their vice like grip on the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2014.
At 28, and after seven years in the English Premier League, the Belgian has decided to take on another challenge and joined the biggest team in the world. How he reacts to that could be the making of him and catapult Hazard into the very elite mentioned for the Ballon d'Or. Former teammate Cesc Fabregas thinks that Hazard win it while at Madrid.
Austrian Arnautovic: 22.4m pounds
After trying to get him in the winter window Chinese Super League champions Shanghai SIPG finally secured the striker's services from West Ham United - and for around half of the sum they were reportedly willing to pay in January. He has arrived in Asia with the claim that he wants to win trophies and can do just that by firing SIPG to back-to-back league titles and their first ever Asian crown in the AFC Champions League.
The 30-year-old has not always lived up to his undoubted talent, with his career punctuated by short spells at clubs and often acrimonious splits. His time at West Ham United was no different after he forced his transfer from East London to East Asia and the London side gave up on trying to get him to honor his contract. Fans in China would not mind if his stay was similarly short if he can help fire the club to glory.
Croatian Mateo Kovacic: 40m poundsThe Londoners gave Real some of their Eden Hazard fee back straight away by making their deal for the Croatian midfielder permanent. Kovacic spent last season on loan at Stamford Bridge. He impressed across 51 games for Maurizio Sarri's side last season, winning the Europa League and doing enough to make the move permanent despite the Italian manager moving on.
The Austria-born midfielder has already said that he hopes new Chelsea boss Frank Lampard can help him add goals to his game. The former England international is Chelsea's record scorer and scored almost as recently as Kovacic, despite retiring in February 2017. The Croatian midfielder's last goal came before his new boss called it a day. Kovacic scored on January 29, 2017 in Real's 3-0 win over Real Sociedad while Lampard scored on September 11, 2016 for New York City against New England Revolution.
Serbian Luka Jovic: 54m poundsAnother player who will be playing under Zidane at Real in the coming season, the most expensive Serbian in history will look to repeat his scoring record from the Bundesliga in the Primera Division.
Jovic scored 25 goals in 43 games for Eintracht Frankfurt last season as the club The 21-year-old only made his loan from Benfica permanent in April but the Germans decided to cash in on their hitman.
(1 million pounds equal $1.24 million)Newspaper headline: National records broken