Manchester City land star as Chelsea and Manchester United line-up last minute signings
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The run away Premier league leaders have signed former Chelsea midfielder Kevin De Bruyne from German side Wolfsburg for a club record £55m.
The 24-year-old has agreed a six-year deal and is City's fourth high-profile summer arrival after Raheem Sterling, Fabian Delph and Nicolas Otamendi.
It is the second highest fee paid by a British club after Manchester United's £59.7m signing of Angel Di Maria.
"It takes a special player to improve our squad," said City manager Manuel Pellegrini of the ex-Chelsea player.
"We like to play attacking, attractive football. Bringing in a player like this will only aid us.
"He has all of the mental, physical, tactical and technical attributes required to fit straight in."
De Bruyne said: "I want to reach the highest level possible as a player and I think the most important thing is that at the end of the season we can be happy and maybe have some titles."
De Bruyne, who will wear the number 17 shirt at Etihad Stadium, joined Wolfsburg in January 2014 for a reported £16.7m after making three Premier League appearances for Chelsea.
Wolfsburg won last season's German Cup and finished second in the Bundesliga.
Not to be outdone Manchester United with near £30 million from the imminent sale of David de Gea with Keylor Navas moving the other way.
The deal is yet to be completed but it will also involve a cash payment from the Spanish giants, taking the overall value to 40m euros (£29m).
De Gea, 24, has been linked with a move to Real throughout the summer. Lousi van Gaal said after Sunday's shock defeat to Swansea that there is no panic. But the Reds have already been linked with QPR's Charlie Austin and Monaco's 19 year- old striker Anthony Martial - for a reported £30 million.
Chelsea, also struggling with four points from 12 and a full 8 behind City have been after Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba for a reported £80 million plus but have not shown their hand yet.
The final day of the transfer window could yet be the busiest yet despite an early finish with the midnight deadline altered for a team-time slot and it will be interesting to see who has what hand when all the cards are dealt.
JB