LaLiga market values: Young winger Yamal overtakes Salah & Doku - De Jong drops

There have been 196 market value changes as part of the new LaLiga update and the biggest increases go to a teenager, who currently plays for Girona but will soon play for Man City, a young star on loan from Atlético Madrid at Deportivo Alavés and a number of the young and upcoming Barcelona stars. First and foremost, Lamine Yamal. The 16-year-old has set a new market value record on Transfermarkt. However, not everyone at Barcelona will be happy about the update as midfielder Frenkie de Jong is among the players who saw their market values drop.  

A regular starter at Barça, a Spanish national team player, and now also the most valuable player aged 18 or below—Yamal has everything to become the new face of the Catalan club and, as a result, saw his market value increase from €60m to €75m. Among the most valuable wingers on the planet, Yamal is now ahead of Premier League stars Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) and Jérémy Doku (Man City), who have a market value of €65m each (the most valuable wingers at a glance). 

Never before in the history of Transfermarkt market values - which have been in place since 2004 - has there been a 16-year-old player with a higher market value. The previous record for talents aged 17 or younger was held by Ansu Fati—another product of Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy—whose market value hit €80m at the end of 2020. Since then, the winger has struggled with injuries and is trying to regain his form while on loan at Brighton. 

In Pau Cubarsí, another product of the La Masia academy, Barcelona have another young star who has become an essential member of the first team this season. The centre-back has been crucial for Barça’s defense this season and consequentially sees his market value increase from €1.5m to €25m. “He became a starter in such a short time,” Area Manager Spain at Transfermarkt Tobias Blaseio said. “Right now, there is no other defender with his consistency and lack of mistakes in the squad. His physical attributes make him the perfect defender and it is fun to watch him play with an almost care-free attitude.” All of Spain will soon enjoy his attributes as he is about to make the jump from the U17 to the senior national team. 

Barcelona squad value drops: Downgrades for De Jong, Pedri & Co.

Despite upgrades among young and talented players, Barcelona’s squad value dropped. Among the nine downgraded players are veterans Marc-André ter Stegen (-€5m to €30m), Robert Lewandowski (-€5m to €15m), and İlkay Gündoğan (-€2m to €16m). Those three were downgraded because of their age. But in the likes of Pedri (-€10m to €80m) and De Jong (-€10m to €70m), the downgrade also impacted a couple of players in their prime, who have been unable to meet high expectations this season. After reaching a record-high market value in October, De Jong has now been downgraded twice in a row. “Although he is usually Xavi's first choice, he has missed quite a few games with injuries," TM Content Manager Spain Iván Fuente said. "Also, when he was available, his performances haven't been as consistent as last season, and then Barcelona haven't been at their best either. As a result, a downgrade was only natural." Altogether, Barcelona’s squad value has dropped by €14m to €839.5m.  

Real Madrid remain first with a squad value of €1.04 billion, despite five downgrades and only two upgrades. One of the players downgraded is Toni Kroos, who, at 34, still remains the most valuable midfielder of his age category. Among the players upgraded is goalkeeper Andriy Lunin (+€8m to €16m), who remains the no.1 even though Kepa Arrizabalaga (-€8m to €12m) has returned to fitness. Brahim Díaz (+€15m to €35m) receives a significant upgrade, fuelling Real Madrid’s increase in squad value. Signed for €17m from Man City in 2019, Brahim made fantastic progress over three years on loan at AC Milan and is now on the verge of making his debut for Morocco. In 33 games, Brahim was directly involved in 13 goals, and his new market value is a new personal best. 

LaLiga market values: Atlético’s loanee Omorodion increases by €20m

The same is true for Atlético Madrid’s 19-year-old striker Samu Omorodion. Currently on loan at Alavés, Atléti signed the Spanish U21 striker for €6m from Granada last summer and since then his form and market value have steadily increased. This time the striker, who has scored eight goals in his first LaLiga season, saw his market value increase by €20m to €40m. “Atlético scouted well and signed an absolute top talent in striker Samu,” Spain expert Blaseio said. “The loan move has also been a good move, and the big striker could offer real competition for [Alvaro] Morata in the attack. Clubs pay big fees for physical young strikers who can both finish well and have a high top speed. But Atlético will likely want to keep him in the fold.” Omorodion’s new market value makes him one of the most valuable U19 strikers in the world.

Isaac Romero, another striker, has also taken LaLiga by storm. The Sevilla forward saw his market value increase from €400,000 to €15m. “Isaac has gone from 0 to 100 and has given his team and the fans some life in what has been a very difficult period for the club,” Blaseio said. “The 23-year-old has played several seasons for the second team and since he has been promoted to the first team, the relegation worries have become significantly less. The way Isaac has been playing makes him one of the few winners of what has been an otherwise poor season for the club.” 

Top talents Akhomach and Sávio among the market value winners in Spain

One of the other big winners of the market value update is Villarreal's right-winger Ilias Akhomach. Signed on a free transfer from Barcelona in 2023, Akhomach saw his market value increase from €3m to €12m. “The 19-year-old was originally signed for Villarreal’s second team, which plays in the second division,” Blaseio said. “But it quickly became apparent that the fast winger was overqualified for that role and is now a regular starter in LaLiga. Although he is still a bit raw at times, his season thus far is a promise for the future.” In 31 games for Villarreal, Akhomach has been directly involved in eight goals and, alongside Real’s Diáz, has been nominated for Morocco’s national team for the friendlies against Angola and Mauretania. 

Also nominated for his first-ever senior national team games has been 19-year-old Sávio from surprise team Girona. Not only was he called up by Brazil, but he will soon also move within the City Football Group to Manchester City. Officially on loan from Troyes, the Ligue 2 club will allow Sávio to move on to England next summer. Sávio has increased his market value from €30m to €40m. An incredible development, considering that he started the season with a market value of just €5m.

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).