The five best Ligue 1 transfers of the season

Cameron Smith

4 May 2025 16:00 BST
4 min read

Paris Saint-Germain were once again the dominant force in Ligue 1 during the 2024-25 campaign as Luis Enrique’s side romped to their 11th title in just 13 years.

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Their success was helped by several eye-catching summer signings, while a number of other clubs in the French top flight have also been rewarded for impressive business in the transfer market.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the five best Ligue 1 transfers of the season.

Joao Neves - €59.9m (Benfica to PSG)

PSG’s midfield trio of Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha and Joao Neves has been a joy to behold this season, and the latter has been a truly excellent signing.

The Portugal international established himself as one of Europe’s most talented players during his time at Benfica and he has continued his career ascent at the Parc des Princes with a number of truly sublime performances.

Neves is a major contributing factor behind why PSG are now arguably the most complete team in world football and for less than €60m, he already looks like a simply sublime signing.

Desire Doue - €50m (Rennes to PSG)

After months of speculation over his future, Desire Doue finally joined PSG for €50m last August amid significant interest from Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

The teenager had only scored four goals during his final season at Rennes, however his talent was clear for all to see and PSG made him their 11th-most expensive signing of all time, despite his lack of experience.

At PSG, Doue has emerged as one of the best youngsters in world football and his flair has helped Luis Enrique create the most dangerous attack in Europe. Doue has already exceeded 20 goal contributions in his debut campaign at the Parc des Princes, and he is well on his way to becoming a world class winger.

Willian Pacho - €40m (Eintracht Frankfurt to PSG)

Willian Pacho remains one of the most underrated defenders in the world and he has played an indispensable role for PSG since his arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Ecuador international was an unsung hero for the Bundesliga side last season and he has become the perfect partner for Marquinhos at the heart of PSG’s backline this year.

The Parisians’ attack has received heaps of praise during their immense Champions League run, but Pacho has been equally impressive and he is a key reason why they won the Ligue 1 title with six games to spare.

Mika Biereth - €13m (Sturm Graz to Monaco)

Arsenal made the surprise decision to sell Mika Biereth to Sturm Graz last summer and six months later, the Denmark U21 international joined AS Monaco for a fee of €13m.

Since his arrival at the Stade Louis II, Biereth has fired Monaco into Champions League contention and his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) now stands at double what Monaco paid to sign him in January.

Biereth became the first player in 70 years to score three hat-tricks in his first seven Ligue 1 matches and he has fully justified his inclusion in this list, despite only arriving mid-season.

Current ETV

Mika Biereth

F (C)

Monaco

Mika Biereth

F (C)

Monaco

ETV Range

€23.2M - €28.4M

Lucas Stassin - €10m (Westerlo to Saint-Etienne)

Lucas Stassin joined Saint-Etienne as their all-time record signing after netting nine goals in 27 appearances during his one and only full season at Westerlo.

He only scored once in his first 12 Ligue 1 appearances, but Stassin has turned into one of the division’s most feared forwards since the appointment of Eirik Horneland in December.

Saint-Etienne are firmly in the relegation picture, however if they avoid the drop then Stassin will be largely responsible thanks to a number of extremely important goals, including braces during a 2-0 victory against Montpellier in March and a 2-1 win over Lyon in late April.

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