Israeli Football Breaks Transfer Records with Douglas Aveso Signing in Summer 2026

The summer of 2026 is shaping up to be the most expensive in the history of Israeli football, highlighted by Hapoel Tel Aviv's announcement on August 5 of signing Douglas Aveso for 2.2 million euros. This transfer marks the fourth highest fee ever paid in the Israeli Premier League and contributes to a record-breaking transfer window. So far, five players have been transferred for over 1.5 million euros this summer, with six players moving for more than one million euros in total. This surpasses previous summers, including 2025 and 2024, which each saw four such transfers, while 2023 and 2022 had none.

Be'er Sheva sold Kings Kangwa for 3.8 million euros, and Maccabi Tel Aviv is expected to sign high-profile foreign players, especially if Tyrese Asante and Roy Revivo depart. Israeli Premier League clubs have collectively sold players for 19.9 million euros and purchased players for 12.1 million euros so far this summer. With over a month remaining in the transfer window, these figures are likely to increase, potentially exceeding last summer's totals of 26.6 million euros in sales and 21 million euros in purchases.

The summer's activity reflects a significant financial escalation in Israeli football transfers, with five of the 30 most expensive transfers in the league's history occurring this summer. The trend suggests that two or three more high-value signings could still take place before the window closes.