With already three weeks of transfer toing and froing around many nations, there are plenty of deals to catch up on. But, as always with the post-season break in Europe, even those whose window opened on 1 July already had a queue of agreed-arrivals stretching round the block just waiting for the next chapter of their careers to be officially rubber-stamped.
So without further ado, FIFA.com dives into some of the biggest and most eye-catching deals of the transfer window so far.
Deal dominoes
Arguably some of the biggest transfers so far this window have all been inter-linked. One switch made way for another, as the last two UEFA Champions League runners up in Atletico Madrid and Juventus reshuffled their front lines. Mario Mandzukic's move from Spain to Italy for €19m was a key piece in the puzzle that set up a series of switches at either end.
Additionally in Turin, Pablo Dybala's switch from Palermo and Roberto Pereyra's loan from Udinese being made permanent allowed Carlos Tevez to head back home to Boca Juniors. Back in Madrid, they wasted little time in replacing the big Croatian. Coveted by a number of the games' biggest clubs for a number of years, Colombian striker Jackson Martinez arrives from Porto after Los Rojiblancosstumped up and met his €35m release clause. The burly forward has hit an average of 30 goals a season since moving to Portugal in 2012.
With Luciano Vietto also joining Atleti, Villarreal invested their income in Malaga duo Samuel Garciaand Samu Castillejo, though coastal rivals Valencia went one step further, bringing in a trio from Benfica. Los Che secured the signings of last season's loanees Joao Cancelo, Andre Gomes andRodrigo Moreno for a reported €60m.
There have been similar knock-on effects in Germany. After Wolfsburg met Max Kruse's buyout clause, Borussia Monchengladbach sealed the signature of Josip Drmic on a four-year deal, with Bayer Leverkusen then bringing in Admir Mehmedi from Freiburg as each club replaced their departing forwards. At the other end of the field, Matija Nastasic's loan move to Schalke from Manchester City being made permanent also allowed for Kyriakos Papadopoulos to leave Die Königsblauen for Leverksuen.
Early birds
Two of the major moves so far in this window were practically wrapped up months before the windows opened, with Real Madrid picking up Porto's Danilo,and Memphis Depay leaving PSV Eindhoven for Manchester United in big-money switches. With creativity leaving the Eredivisie, champions PSV will look to Valencia's Andres Guardado to replenish their supply line, while rivals Ajax have brought in AZ captain Nemanja Gudelj in a bid to retain their crown.
Another selection of youngster involved in big moves were Roberto Firmino, joining Liverpool from Hoffenheim to help fill the Steven Gerrard-shaped void, and Geoffrey Kondogbia, who has made the short drive across the border from Monaco to Inter Milan. Douglas Costa ended his five-year association with Shakhtar Donetsk to sign for Bayern Munich in a €30m switch, with goalkeeper Sven Ulreich joining him from Stuttgart as Pepe Reina headed back to Napoli.
Surprise switches
However, while these deals tended to point to upward trajectories for those involved, a pair in the autumn of their careers also caught the eye, with a Barcelona circa-2006 reunion is on the cards inTurkey. Samuel Eto'o has already signed for ambitious Antalyaspor and Ronaldinho himself has announced he intends to join him there. Former team-mate Xavi meanwhile has ended his Camp Nou adventure, heading for Qatari side Al Sadd.
Back in Turkey, another unexpected move sees Demba Ba head east to join Shanghai Shenhua from Besiktas, with Tottenham Hotspur's Paulinho following suit in a move to Guangzhou Evergrande. Back in London, Petr Cech's journey across the English capital to Arsenal from Chelsea would certainly have raised a few eyebrows had it not been on the cards for weeks before he put pen to paper.
Andre-Pierre Gignac's switch from the south of France to northern Mexico did catch a few off-guard, though. The out-of-contract Marseille man has signed up with Tigres, while former team-mate Andre Ayew – who also let his deal run down – made a significantly shorter trip to Swansea City. The Ghanaian could meet another former OM star in Dmitri Payet on the field this season, with France's top assister last season joining West Ham United.
Former Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart has found a new home at Real Betis after captaining Hamburg to play-off survival in Germany, while, across town from Los Verdiblancos, rivals Sevilla have been very busy. The likes of Gael Kakuta, Adil Rami and Michael Krohn-Dehli have joined the UEFA Europa League Champions, but loanee Iago Aspas has returned to Celta Vigo – via parent club Liverpool - Fernando Navarro and Stephane M'bia have both departed, while Carlos Baccaand Aleix Vidal have left for AC Milan and Barcelona respectively. The latter will have to wait until January for his debut though, following the Catalan club's transfer ban.
Bacca, meanwhile, is one of several high-profile newcomers at the San Siro over recent days. Barely was the ink dry on his contract when Milan announced the arrival of another star South American striker in the shape of Shakhtar Donetsk's Luiz Adriano. Inter, for their part, have made a key addition at the other end of the park, adding experienced Atletico Madrid defender Joao Miranda.
There has also been recent movement in France, where Guingamp's prolific Claudio Beauvue was signed by Lyon for €4.5 million, and Nantes brought in Kolbeinn Sigthorsson from Ajax. Another star striker on the move has been Heerenveen's Mark-Alexander Uth, who yesterday completed a switch to Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim after an impressive 20-goal campaign in the Eredivisie last season.
Player to watch
While Martinez will be the marquee striker at Atletico Madrid, up-and-coming forward Vietto could be one to really shine in stripes. Released as a 17-year-old by Estudiantes in his Argentinian homeland, he has gone on to stand out for Racing Club and for the Yellow Submarine since. Compared to compatriot Sergio Aguero, it is apt that Vietto will be walking out on Kun's old stamping ground. If the 21-year-old can make half as big an impact it will be money well spent.
The stat
31 – The combined number of years' professional service Gerrard and Andoni Iraola gave to their last clubs before heading to the MLS. It is 17 years since LA Galaxy-bound Gerrard made his debut with the Reds, while Iraola began at Athletic Club's reserves in 2001 before signing for New York City FC.
What they said
“Besides Eto'o and Ronaldinho, we will make another big-name signing. When it's done, we'll set the world on fire!"
Antalyaspor president Gultekin Gencer, who looks to have big plans for the newly-promoted Turkish side