7 Players Who Returned to Their Former Clubs for Ridiculously Bigger Transfer Fees
With recent rumours of Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Manchester United this summer, and Chelsea's pursuit of Romelu Lukaku, clubs at the top level are growing increasingly willing to re-sign a former player.
Quite often the clubs that do it make a considerable loss from the previous sale of the player, but that doesn't seem to concern those with the financial clout to realise they've made a mistake.
There are plenty of examples of it happening in the recent past, and if (he probably wont) Ronaldo does return to Old Trafford this summer, it will be the most memorable and unexpected of them all.
Here are some of the highest profile re-signings...
7. Paul Pogba - Juventus to Manchester United (£89.3m)
Paul Pogba famously left Manchester United on a free transfer in 2012 having grown disillusioned with his lack of opportunities in the first team.
Of course, it proved to be a mistake on the part of the club. The enigmatic Frenchman excelled in Italy with Juventus, so much so that United were willing to break the world transfer record to bring him back.
His first season wasn't without difficulty or criticism, but it's almost certain that United have made more than their money back with the marketability of the charismatic midfielder.
6. David Luiz - Paris Saint-Germain to Chelsea (£34m)
Having been sold to Paris Saint-Germain for £50m in 2014, a world record for a defender, Chelsea re-signed David Luiz for around £34m last summer.
There were doubts that the Brazilian centre-back, previously known for his eccentric style of defending, would fit into Antonio Conte's side. But he has emphatically proved his doubters wrong, excelling as part of Chelsea's back three and playing a big part in last season's Premier League title win.
His career has taken a rather strange trajectory, but Chelsea will certainly have no regrets over this transfer.
Mats Hummels began his career with Bayern Munich, but made just one appearance for the first team before moving to Borussia Dortmund.
The German international established himself as one of the Bundesliga's best defenders in the seasons that followed, prompting Bayern to realise their mistake and bring him back last year for a fee believed to be around £30m.
It would have been an unnecessary transfer had Bayern persisted with Hummels as a youngster, but they couldn't pass up the opportunity to weaken their rivals.
4. Cesc Fabregas - Arsenal to Barcelona (£27m)
Similarly to Hummels, Cesc Fabregas began his career with the club he would one day return to, leaving Barcelona as a teenager to join Arsenal.
After a successful eight years in London, the prospect of a return to Catalonia proved too much to turn down. Fabregas returned to the Nou Camp in 2011 for a fee of £27m, although his dream move didn't go particularly as planned.
The then 27-year-old returned to the Premier League with Chelsea in 2014, where he has since won two Premier League titles.
3. Alvaro Morata - Juventus to Real Madrid (£26m)
When Alvaro Morata returned to Real Madrid last summer, he did so expecting to be the club's first choice striker.
After two successful seasons at Juventus, the Spanish forward returned to the club with whom he had risen to prominence in the youth ranks. Los Blancos activated a release clause of around £26m to bring Morata back, but despite an excellent scoring record when he did play last season, he found his chances limited under Zinedine Zidane.
Morata is now expected to move to Manchester United, with Chelsea also interested.
2. Nemanja Matic - Benfica to Chelsea (£22.9m)
Nemanja Matic's first spell at Chelsea having signed from Slovakian outfit Kosic in 2009 was underwhelming to say the least.
Struggling to break into the first team under Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, the imposing midfielder was sent on loan to Vitesse, before eventually departing for Benfica in a deal that saw David Luiz arrive at Stamford Bridge.
Matic impressed in Portugal playing in a more defensive midfield role, which prompted Chelsea to bring him back ahead of their title winning 2014/15 season.
1. Nicolas Anelka - Real Madrid to Paris Saint-Germain (£22m)
Back before Paris Saint-Germain were considered one of Europe's elite, back before they were able to sign players for extortionate fees at will, the return of Nicolas Anelka was considered a significant worldwide transfer.
The French forward had left the club as a teenager for Arsenal, before moving on to Real Madrid. He struggled to adapt in the Spanish capital, complaing that "they treat me like a dog", and fell out with manager Vicente del Bosque.
Looking for a new club, Anelka returned to PSG for £22m, but left after two relatively underwhelming seasons. By the end of his career, the former Arsenal, Chelsea and Bolton striker had played for 12 clubs and accumulated total transfer fees of £110m. source
