Liga Portugal market values: €19m increase for Gyökeres - Benfica talent Neves also up

After starting the season with 16 points from six games, Sporting are not only first in the Liga Portugal but also one of the biggest winners of the market value update. Stars Viktor Gyökeres, Ousmane Diomande, and Morton Hjulmand saw their market values upgraded, and Sporting’s squad value increased by €40 million to €280m. That leaves Sporting in third place, just €9m short of Porto’s squad value (+€6.5m). At the very top remains Benfica, which increased its squad value by €15m to €360m. 

The biggest winners among the players are Gyökeres and Diomande, who saw their market values upgraded by €19m and €15m to €32m and €25m respectively. Swedish striker Gyökeres joined Sporting from Coventry City for €20m this summer and has scored four goals in his first six games for the club. Together with Pedro Gonçalves, Gyökeres is now the most valuable player at Sporting. Diomande, in the meantime, was signed last winter for €7.5m from FC Midtjylland and quickly established himself in the starting XI. 

Significant changes to market values in Portugal are the result of a strategic change within Transfermarkt. “The league tends to sell players for high transfer fees, which means a quicker increase in market values for new players,” TM Area Area Manager Portugal Marcel de Almeida said. Players that have benefitted from the new calculation are Danish national team player Hjulmand, Porto’s attacking midfielder Iván Jaime, and Benfica’s highly talented defensive midfielder João Neves. After playing a strong season in Serie A, Hjulmand was then transferred for €18m from US Lecce to Sporting and, as a result, saw his market value increase by €9m to €24m. Jaime and João Neves doubled their market values to €10m and €20m, respectively. 

“João Neves, at his young age, is already very present in central midfield, has a good passing game and is very intelligent on the pitch. He could become another top Benfica sale in the coming years and generate a high transfer fee for the club,” de Almeida said. “Ivan Jaime was already one of the best players outside of the top three clubs in Portugal last season and has now been rewarded with a transfer to FC Porto. Again, we have reacted to the transfer fee paid.”

Former top talent Trincão downgraded – Injured St. Juste loses €3m

Among the downgraded players is also former top talent Trincão. Sporting signed the winger ahead of the season for €7m from Barcelona, but Trincão has come mostly off the bench and is yet to score this season. With that in mind, Trincão’s market value dropped for the fifth time since the beginning of 2021—this time from €15m to €12m. In Jerry St. Juste, another Sporting player is also downgraded. The defender has been out with injuries since April and has missed 26 competitive fixtures since joining the club from Mainz in 2022. St. Juste’s market value dropped by €3m to now €10m. 

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).