Ligue 1 market values: Dembélé with highest value since 2019 - Cherki up by €10m

Following the conclusion of the Champions League final, in which Paris Saint-Germain smashed Inter Milan 5-0, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 463 Ligue 1 players. Not surprisingly, PSG benefited significantly from their excellent UCL campaign. The ten most valuable players playing in France all play for the club from the French capital, and nine of them received market value upgrades, and only Warren Zaïre-Emery (-€5m to €55m) saw his market value drop. The most valuable player is now Ousmane Dembélé, together with his Georgian teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and breakout star Désiré Doué.  

For Dembélé, the redemption tour at PSG continues. The 28-year-old forward scored 33 goals and 13 assists in 48 games across all competitions this season. “It seemed logical to see him become the joint most valuable player of Ligue 1,” Transfermarkt Area Manager France, Ronan Caroff, said. “His performances early this season were a bit below what was expected of his name, hence the small downgrade in December, but since then he completely transformed, with amazing instincts in attack, either at the front where he wasn't put much before, or his more usual right wing.” As a result, Dembélé’s market value is now up by €15m to €90m. It is his highest market value since June 2019, when he was still playing for Barcelona with a market value of €100m. 

Overall, this has been a strong market value update for PSG. Other players with upgrades are Kvaratskhelia (+€10m to €90m), Désiré Doué (+€30m to €90m), Achraf Hakimi (+€15m to €80m), Vitinha (+€20m to €80m), João Neves (+€15m to €80m), Nuno Mendes (+€15m to €70m),  Willian Pacho (+€20m to €65m), Gianluigi Donnarumma (+€5m to €40m) and Fabián Ruiz (+€5m to €40m). Only a few players have received downgrades. Among them are the already mentioned Zaïre-Emery, Gonçalo Ramos (-€5m to €40m), and Marquinhos (-€5m to €35m). 

Ligue 1 market values: In-demand Cherki up – Stassin one to watch

The most valuable players not playing for PSG are Lille’s Jonathan David (unchanged at €45m), AS Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche (+€5m to €45m), and Olympique Lyon’s Rayan Cherki (+€10m to €45m). Cherki, in particular, has been a player who has been in the news. The OL forward was on the verge of joining Borussia Dortmund in January, but a deal collapsed. Dortmund, Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, and Man City are reportedly interested in the 21-year-old now. Despite the rumors, Cherki isn’t a player without controversy.

“As his market value's evolution shows, Cherki is a tough player to rate,” Caroff said. “He started the season out of the team after a failed exit in summer, but once he extended in September to 2026, he found his place back quickly, and he really became more efficient since Paulo Fonseca's arrival, especially in key games like vs FCSB or Man Utd in the Europa League. Cherki has already stated he plans to leave in the next weeks, and Lyon are going to need money to balance their books. Cherki ticks all the boxes to be Lyon's main sale this summer, at a decent fee despite the one year only left on his contract.” 

Another player to watch is AS Saint-Étienne’s Lucas Stassin. Despite his club’s relegation to Ligue 2, the 20-year-old Belgian striker managed 14 goals and eight assists in 34 games across all competitions. “St. Etienne might be going back down to Ligue 2, but some players have made a name for themselves. Stassin is among them,” Caroff said. “At the beginning, his €10m transfer seemed to weigh him down a bit. “But, since mid-December, he has been on fire, scoring all 12 of his league goals. Stassin scored against Marseille, Nice, and Lyon.” As a result, Stassin sees his market value explode by 157.1% from €7m to €18m. With that in mind, it seems unlikely that Stassin will be headed down to the second division. 

Ligue 1 market values: Many upgrades at Chelsea-owned Racing Strasbourg

Meanwhile, at Chelsea’s farm club Racing Strasbourg, there have been several upgrades after a season that sees the club qualify for the UEFA Conference League. “After a very average first season with BlueCo as owners, Le Racing transformed into a super effective team,” Caroff said. In fact, a bit more could have been possible. “If it wasn't for zero of 12 possible points scored in November, and two losses against struggling teams to finish the season, they could have aimed much higher than the Conference League spot they just secured.” 

Still, it is enough for several players on loan to see their market values upgraded. “Altogether, 12 Racing players see their market values increase significantly,” Caroff said. The player with the biggest upgrade is Andrey Santos (+€10m to €35m). “The Chelsea loanee should find a place in the Blues roster after two great seasons on loan,” Caroff added. Other players with big upgrades are  Diego Moreira (+€8m to €18m), Dilane Bakwa (+€7m to €25m), Guéla Doué (+€6m to €18m), and  Mamadou Sarr (+€5m to €20m). “So many interesting names that will either be the key elements of a very ambitious 2025/26 season, or great assets on the summer market,” Caroff concluded.

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).