[TRANSFER WATCH] The 2009-10 French season begins Saturday. The big winner on the French transfer market was Portuguese champion Porto, which earned more than $85 million in transfer fees from four separate deals. In an effort to regain the title it lost after seven seasons as champion, Lyon spent more than $100 million on players.
TRANSFERS FROM ABROAD
$33.6 million Lisandro Lopez (Porto/POR to Lyon)
$25.2 million Lucho Gonzalez (Porto/POR to Marseille)
$21.0 million Aly Cissokho (Porto/POR to Lyon)
$18.9 million *Yoann Gourcuff (AC Milan/ITA to Bordeaux)
$4.9 million Paulo Machado (Porto/POR to Toulouse)
*Permanent move following 2008-09 loan deal.
TRANSFERS WITHIN FRANCE
$25.2 million Michel Bastos (Lille to Lyon)
$18.2 million Bafetimbi Gomis (St. Etienne to Lyon)
$16.8 million Stephane Mbia (Rennes to Marseille)
$11.2 million Mevlut Erding (Sochaux to Paris SG)
$11.2 million Cedric Carrasso (Toulouse to Bordeaux)
$9.1 million Souleymane Diawara (Bordeaux to Marseille)
$8.4 million Gervinho (Le Mans to Lille)
TRANSFERS TO ABROAD
$49.0 million Karim Benzema (Lyon to Real Madrid/SPA)
$11.9 million Kader Keita (Lyon to Galatasaray/TUR)
$11.2 million Djibril Cisse (Marseille to Panathinaikos/GRE)
$9.1 million Lorik Cana (Marseille to Sunderland/ENG)
$6.4 million Gael Givet (Marseille to Blackburn/ENG)
$6.4 million Thomas Kahlenberg (Auxerre to Wolfsburg/GER)
$6.4 million Gabriel Obertan (Bordeaux to Man.Utd/ENG)