Hair artist and barber Nariko, 27, etches an image of Barcelona's Neymar on the head of customer Luiz Fernadez, 15, before the Champions League semifinal first leg soccer match between Barcelona and Bayern Munich, at his barbershop in Sao Vicente, near Santos, in Sao Paulo state May 6, 2015. Nariko, who was motivated to get into the profession by his grandfather and uncle, has been etching profiles of the famous onto the sides and backs of heads for about a year or so. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)

Football transfers are not cheap. To have a player strengthen their ranks, teams are willing to pay big money. The football transfer considered to be the most expensive in the sport's history was that of Gareth Bale leaving Tottenham to play at Real Madrid. The Spanish club paid not less than £86 million (about $133 million at today's exchange rates) to have the player among its own. But recent news suggest that this record might be broken this year. According to reports in the media, UK Premier League team Manchester United is willing to almost double that amount.

Clay "caganers" representing Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (2nd L), Podemos's candidate Pablo Iglesias (R), Socialist Party (PSOE) leader Pedro Sanchez (2nd R) and Ciudadanos party leader Albert Rivera (L) are seen on display at the Santa Llucia Christmas market in central Barcelona, Spain, December 16, 2015. Catalans hide “caganers” or defecators, in Christmas Nativity scenes to let friends hunt for them during Christmas celebrations. The “caganers”, which symbolise defecation and fertilization of the earth, are believed to bring prosperity and luck for the coming year. (Photo by Albert Gea/Reuters)

Enigmatic Italian forward Mario Balotelli is always good for drama, so Fanny Neguesha is perfect for him. With her racy Instagram shots and wild ways, she might be the one to tame Super Mario’s heart. The couple was engaged to marry this week. (Photo by Splash News/Getty Images/Instagram.com)

A young man looks over his shoulder as men watching a soccer match in a nearby bar ask why he isn't watching the game, while walking with his date during the men's gold medal soccer match between Brazil and Germany during Rio 2016 on Saturday, August 20, 2016. (Photo by Aaron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

A fan of Japan reacts after Crotia winning the penalty shoot out during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between Japan and Croatia at Al Janoub Stadium on December 5, 2022 in Al Wakrah, Qatar. (Photo by John Sibley/Reuters)

A mannequin stands in a textile factory in Madrid, Spain May 19, 2014. (Photo by Andrea Comas/Reuters)

Fiji's outside centre and captain Waisea Nayacalevu celebrates scoring his team's first try during the France 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool C match between Wales and Fiji at Stade de Bordeaux in Bordeaux, south-western France on September 10, 2023. (Photo by Christophe Archambault/AFP Photo)