As clubs throughout the EFL Championship look to flex their financial muscles in this summer’s newly opened transfer window, the values of some of the division’s top players will come under the scrutiny.

Although we should expect the Championship’s more powerful teams to spend money to boost their promotion hopes, many will also face an uphill battle to keep coveted assets.

That is especially true for West Ham United, Wolves, and Burnley, who were relegated from the Premier League last season, while Middlesbrough and Swansea City would do well to maintain Hayden Hackney and Zan Vipotnik, respectively.

With the transfer window currently in full swing, Football League World contacted Transfermarkt to determine who the 24 most valued Championship players are right now – and what it could imply this summer…

€18 million – 6 players

To begin, there is a six-way tie with an estimated market value of €18 million (£15.6 million) shared by Middlesbrough’s Morgan Whittaker, Southampton’s Caspar Jander, Birmingham City poster boy Jay Stansfield, West Ham’s Pablo and Konstantinos Mavropanos, and Wolves’ Toti Gomes.

Whittaker is unlikely to leave Middlesbrough anytime soon, but Jander is reportedly interested in leaving Southampton as a result of the club’s play-off expulsion just ten months after arriving in a £10.4 million move from FC Nurnberg, with the talented German midfielder receiving a lot of attention back home.

Stansfield, meanwhile, joined Birmingham for more than £10 million when the team was still in League One, and at just 23, it’s probable that Knighthead will keep the striker for the long term.

Pablo, however, has been linked with a move to new Championship rivals Wolves, having had a rough time at West Ham after joining for £24 million from Portuguese club Gil Vicente in January.

It is uncertain whether Mavropanos will leave the Hammers or if Toti’s six-year spell at Molineux will expire in the coming months.

€20 million – Five players

Similarly, five players are valued at €20 million (£17.3 million) by Transfermarkt, including Burnley winger Jaidon Anthony, Wolves’ Matheus Mane and Tolu Arokodare, and Southampton’s Finn Azaz and Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

Anthony was a surprising revelation in the top division, scoring eight goals, and Burnley will battle hard to keep him if interest develops. Wolves will make a big attempt to keep brilliant young playmaker Matheus Mane, who the club reportedly values at £30 million, despite interest from Newcastle United and Borussia Dortmund.

The Old Gold will most likely be more willing to let Arokodare go, as the towering striker has only three goals in 33 league appearances and has been involved in a number of disciplinary incidents since joining from Genk for £24 million – a fee that they would do extremely well to recoup in large part.

Southampton will want to keep Finn Azaz after a good debut season at St Mary’s, while the future of captain Harwood-Bellis remains uncertain.

The highly rated defender has been connected with top-flight clubs Crystal Palace and Everton, and despite the Saints apparently wanting more than £20 million, he might be another high-profile departure from Tonda Eckert’s squad this summer.

€22 million – Four players

To begin, there is a four-way tie between the aforementioned Vipotnik and Jean-Clair Todibo, Ladislav Krejci, and Lesley Ugochukwu of West Ham, Wolves, and Burnley, each having an estimated market value of €22 million (£19 million).

Vipotnik won the Championship’s Golden Boot last season while leading the line for mid-table Swansea, and the 24-year-old’s outstanding tally of 23 goals has piqued the curiosity of Portuguese clubs Sporting CP and Benfica, as well as West Ham.

Whereas the Slovenian frontman could end up at the London Stadium this summer, Todibo is expected to leave East London following his side’s relegation. The French defender was at the core of a high-profile spat with Hammers manager Nuno, which resulted in his reported refusal to play in their final-day match against Leeds United, and it would be a great surprise to see him play in the Championship next season.

Krejci, despite just recently joining the club in a £26 million deal from Girona, is expected to leave Molineux after his loan move with an obligation to buy became permanent.

The Czech international has caught the eye at this summer’s FIFA 2026 World Cup, wearing the captain’s armband and even scoring in his country’s curtain-raiser against South Korea, and a move away appears to be on the cards as Leeds United and Besiktas show interest.

Ugochukwu’s future, meanwhile, remains uncertain, having joined Burnley from Chelsea last summer for a reputed deal in excess of £20 million. He didn’t disgrace himself in a fairly unsuccessful season for the Clarets, but it remains to be seen if he will be kept at Turf Moor or become the focus of adoring eyes this summer.

€25 million – André

The majority of the players named below are expected to have moved on by the start of the new season, but Wolves midfielder Andre is unlikely to be one of them.

That’s because the Old Gold made a huge show of purpose last month by announcing that Andre had signed a new four-year contract with the club, despite previously being regarded as one of the most likely departures from the West Midlands following relegation.

Andre, who joined Wolves for £21 million from Fluminense in the summer of 2024, has appeared for the club 75 times in less than two years and might be one of the Championship’s greatest players next season.

The 13-cap Brazilian international’s departure is not entirely out of the question, but Wolves now hold all the cards, and he appears to be fully dedicated to the cause as a new era begins under Cesar Peixoto.

€28 million – Three participants

West Ham are expected to oversee a mass exodus of the playing squad this summer in order to raise up to £150 million in sales, which could see Taty Castellanos and El-Hadji Malick Diouf, both valued at €28 million (£24.2 million), as well as Burnley’s Maxime Esteve, leave.

Castellanos cost the Hammers over £25 million when he signed from Lazio in January, and while the Argentine’s six goals were unable to keep his club in the Premier League, they may well be enough to return him to the top level, whether in England or elsewhere.

If West Ham were able to recover that kind of money for Diouf, it would represent a decent profit on the £19 million they paid to sign the Senegalese international from Slavia Prague last summer.

Having previously been connected with Manchester United, there will be no shortage of clubs considering a move for the left defender this summer.

Burnley are bracing for more uncertainty surrounding Esteve’s future, who has been linked to a number of clubs since his arrival at Turf Moor in 2024 and is currently said to be interested in Liverpool and Chelsea – it appears that the Frenchman’s time with the club may be coming to an end.

€30 million – Jarrod Bowen

Jarrod Bowen’s estimated transfer value is under €30 million (£26 million), which is surprising given his recent Premier League record.

The left-footed forward has come a long way since his early days in the National League with Hereford, and he has scored double digits in all competitions for West Ham over the last five seasons.

Bowen, who is still only 29 years old, should theoretically be in the prime of his career, and it would be surprising if he remained at the London Stadium when the transfer window closed on August 31, but the fact that he has a young family in the area, as well as a devoted Hammers fan of a stepfather in actor Danny Dyer, could persuade him to stay and help Nuno’s side try to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

While not as fashionable as an early-20s quick wide winger, Bowen would bring Premier League experience to a bidder – and if he was available for £26 million, it may be a steal.

Hayden Hackney is worth €32 million.

Middlesbrough’s failure to capitalise on their surprise second opportunity in the Championship play-offs, losing to Hull City in the final at Wembley Stadium in May, very certainly sealed the fate of star midfielder Hayden Hackney.

When he was on loan at Scunthorpe United in 2021-22, it was difficult to imagine that just three years later, Hackney would be in high demand after breaking into Boro’s first team and being given a key position by Michael Carrick.

Hackney has thrived in the middle of the park on Teesside, to the point that a move to the Premier League this summer appears imminent – numerous clubs have been linked, including Everton and Crystal Palace, as well as Manchester United, currently led by former Borough manager Carrick.

Transfermarkt values Hackney at €32 million (£27.75 million), and even though he is about to enter the final year of his contract, you would expect him to fetch a hefty fee for Steve Gibson to re-invest – but what are the chances he stays for another year and runs his contract down at the Riverside Stadium?

€35 million – Crysencio Summerville

After a quiet first season at West Ham following his initial £25 million signing from Leeds United, Crysencio Summerville really came alive for the Hammers in 2025-26, despite being part of a relegated squad.

While the Dutchman only scored five goals in the top flight last season, his performances were impressive enough that big clubs are circling for the 24-year-old – Manchester United is the latest to be interested in his services, with David Ornstein claiming he’s high on their list of left-winger targets.

Summerville’s €35 million (£30.3 million) valuation on Transfermarkt, however, may be understated; Ornstein believes the forward will only leave the London Stadium for a fee in excess of £50 million, and given his current performance for the Netherlands at the FIFA World Cup, that fee may rise even further.

€40 million – Joao Gomes

Wolves may have finished last in the Premier League in 2025-26, but there are still some valuable players who might help the club gain a lot of money this summer.

One of those is Joao Gomes, who is expected to leave this summer after being widely linked with a move to Atletico Madrid under Diego Simeone.

ESPN reported in May that personal terms had been agreed upon with the 25-year-old, and that they were willing to spend roughly £39 million on him, which is more than his Transfermarkt estimated value of £34.7 million.

Talk of a move to Spain’s capital has cooled down since then for Gomes, but it doesn’t mean he won’t make a move this summer – new Wolves manager Cesar Peixoto will wish to keep him, but that may not be possible if some departures are required.

€50m – Mateus Fernandes

If Mateus Fernandes stays at West Ham after the August 31 deadline, the club’s management will have accomplished what appears to be an impossible task.

Tottenham, Manchester United, and Real Madrid are all interested in signing the Portuguese midfielder, who impressed in the Premier League last season despite being relegated to the Championship.

According to reports, West Ham are seeking more than £80 million for Fernandes’ services, a significant increase over the £42 million paid to Southampton a year ago.

That £80 million figure is also significantly higher than Transfermarkt’s estimate of €50 million (£43.4 million) for the 21-year-old – whatever the case, the east London club is likely to receive a significant windfall when the inevitable occurs and Fernandes no longer plays for West Ham.