Benfica's Darwin Nunez has attracted plenty of attention for his performances in the Champions League this season. Carlos Rodrigues - UEFA/UEFA via Getty ImagesWhile the summer transfer window is set to be dominated by talk of whether Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe will be leaving Ligue 1 to join LaLiga champions Real Madrid and if Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland will be swapping the Bundesliga for Premier League giants Manchester City, there are plenty of players outside of Europe's top five leagues that the big clubs will be looking at as potential signings.
To that end, the CIES Football Observatory has produced a rundown of the most valuable players in the world right now who are playing outside of Europe's so-called "big five" leagues this season. The study shows that there is plenty of talent to be found beyond the Premier League (England), LaLiga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), the Bundesliga (Germany) and Ligue 1 (France).
The transfer values for each player have been calculated by the CIES using a formula which takes into account each player's age, contract duration, level of performance and the stature of their respective clubs.
The players below have been selected from 10 of the most high-profile top-flight leagues in countries outside of the European big five: Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil, Belgium, Canada and the U.S. (MLS), Austria, Turkey, Denmark, Switzerland and Scotland.
The top 10 is dominated by young talent from Portugal's Primeira Liga and the Dutch Eredivisie, with only one player hailing from a team outside those two leagues. Indeed, more than half of the players included in the CIES list are currently plying their trade at one of Portugal's big three clubs.
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