How much would Ryan Giggs go for in today’s market?
The current transfer window is just days away from closing and it’s already seen Neymar swap Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain for a staggering £198 million while Ousmane Dembele has moved to the Camp Nou for £97 million, potentially rising to £135.5m.
The kind of quoted fees flying around over the summer have been nothing short of ridiculous and it begs the question – where does it end?
The first £1 billion player is surely not too far away if the current trend continues and it’s difficult not to consider if and when the bubble will burst.
It also makes you wonder what the best players of yesteryear would be worth in the modern marketplace.
That very question was put to Manchester United legend Roy Keane on Tuesday and he was typically outspoken about his opinion on the phenomenon of rising transfer fees.
“It’s mind-boggling, the figures that are out there — especially for the average players,” Keane said, via the Irish Times. “If ever there was a time to be a professional player it’s now. Average players are going for £35 million. My goodness.
“I don’t really analyse it too much, but that’s the market place at the moment. There aren’t many top players out there. The really big players are going for big money and it’s filtering down now.
“When average players are going for £30-40 million, it does make you scratch your head. But if the clubs are prepared to pay that, then it’s not the players’ fault.”
Keane has had the honour of sharing the pitch with some of the greatest talents in Premier League history and he was asked what the likes of Ruud van Nistelerooy, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham would go for nowadays.
“Ruud would certainly be worth in the market now probably a billion,” Keane said.
“David Beckham? A billion.
“Ryan Giggs? Two billion.”
It was then put to the former no-nonsense midfielder to put a modern value on himself.
“£3.75 million, I think,” Keane smiled, making reference to the British transfer record he broke in July, 1993.
