Ligue 1 market values: Ousmane Dembélé up by €20m - Lyon's Rayan Cherki among big winners

Following updates in England and Spain, Ligue 1 is the next top league on Transfermarkt to receive market value updates. Altogether, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 150 players playing in France’s first division. Once again, the headlines are dominated by Paris Saint-Germain, where nine out of the ten most valuable players in Ligue 1 currently earn their money. Those updates are a mixed bag; while the league’s most valuable player, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, received a downgrade, other stars like Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola are on the up. 

Georgian winger Kvaratskhelia is indeed the most prominent downgrade in Ligue 1. Signed for €70m from Napoli in January, the transfer fee didn’t quite reflect the Georgian’s market value. But that wasn’t the other factor for his €5m downgrade to €80m. “Until now, there was a €20m gap between 'Kvara' and the next closest most valuable player in Ligue 1,” Transfermarkt Area Manager France Ronan Caroff said. “There was a need to reduce the gap, and together with the rather disappointing fee and somewhat mediocre performances, a downgrade was necessary.” 

Closing the gap to the no.1 spot is his teammate Dembélé. The 27-year-old winger saw his market value increase by €20m to now €75m, just five million less than Kvaratskhelia. “He’s been amazing since the last update,” Caroff said. “Decisive is a good way to describe his impact, as he has cruised through Ligue 1 and the Champions League. Playing as a center-forward has transformed his game.” Dembélé has now scored 30 goals and six assists in 37 games across all competitions, helping him reach a market value level not seen since December 2019.

Ligue 1 market value update: Barcola leads group of young stars 

Dembélé isn’t the only PSG star with a market value upgrade. Also on the up are Achraf Hakimi,  João Neves (both +€5m to €65m), Vitinha (+€5m to €60m),  Désiré Doué (+€20m to €60m), and  Willian Pacho (+€5m to €45m). The overall increase in market values among PSG’s young guard isn’t surprising given the club’s recent exploits in the UEFA Champions League. But perhaps one name stands above everyone else: Bradley Barcola. 

The 22-year-old Olympique Lyon product has been in unbelievable form this year, and its market value increased from €65m to €70m. “His progression at PSG continues,” Caroff said. “Barcola has been involved in 30 goals across all competitions, 18 since the start of January. That’s more than twice his season total from last year’s campaign (14).” Signed for just €18m in 2023, Barcola has scored 18 goals and 12 assists in 43 games across all competitions this season. A regular for Les Bleus, Barcola has also been recently scouted by Bayern Munich, who view him as an alternative to Florian Wirtz. 

Indeed, Barcola and his teammate Doué are among two of the most exciting talents in Ligue 1. Another rising star can be found in Lille, Ayyoub Bouaddi. “After his massive breakthrough in December when he increased his market value by €15m, Bouaddi had a bit of a quieter January,” Caroff said. “But he is still very consistent and had some excellent performances like in the 1-1 draw in the Champions League in Dortmund.” The 17-year-old is up by €5m from €25m to €30m. “Together with goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, Bouaddi is now the second most valuable player at Lille behind Jonathan David.”

Ligue 1: Ups and downs at Lyon – Monaco’s Biereth one to watch 

Meanwhile, at Olympique Lyon, there have been some ups and downs, perfectly reflecting the chaotic ownership of American businessman John Textor. On the down is Argentine World Cup winner Thiago Almada. Signed originally by Textor’s Brazilian club Botafogo from Atlanta United, Almada is currently on loan from the Brazilians at Lyon. “His arrival in Lyon was known for some time, but when he finally arrived, it coincided with a manager change,” Caroff said. “New head coach Paulo Fonseca wouldn’t use him much initially. Only in the last few weeks did he get a few more minutes.” As a result, Almada received a slight downgrade from €27m to €25m. 

Even then, Almada remains OL’s second most valuable player, behind only Rayan Cherki. “He was a tough player to evaluate,” Caroff said. “He went down to €20m in October, back up to €30m in December, and now he has hit a new career high of €35m. He’s been a crucial player in Fonseca’s tactics. Playing in a new role, Cherki has had a goal contribution in almost every game since January.” Including January, Cherki has managed three goals and six assists in 11 Ligue 1 games. Without a doubt, Cherki will again be a hot topic when the transfer window opens this summer. 

That will also be true for AS Monaco’s multinational striker Mika Biereth. The 22-year-old striker could have represented Serbia, Bosnia, Germany, England or Denmark. England and Germany tried to convince Biereth, but after playing for Denmark’s U21, a national team switch would have been difficult. Regardless, Biereth has been on fire. “He was already prolific for Sturm Graz,” Caroff said. “But then he scored 11 goals in his first 12 games for Monaco. He is now the central piece of a team that lacked a true goalscoring threat before his arrival.” With all that in mind, his 92.3% upgrade from €13m to €25m is only consequential.

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).