Top five Premier League bargains of recent history including £450k star, Chelsea hero and Liverpool legend

We are at the heart of the summer transfer window, and clubs are working overtime to ensure they can get maximum value for their money. The most beautiful and intriguing part of transfers is that it doesn't matter whether the fee is a record amount or as small as another player's monthly wages—there is just no guarantee that it will work out and that all new arrivals will be absolute hits.

Some clubs have been smart and have gotten absolute value in their investing, so here is 3addedminutes’ look at the top five Premier League bargains in recent history.

Riyad Mahrez - from Le Havre to Leicester (£450,000)

Leicester City signed Mahrez for just £450,000 on a three-and-a-half-year deal from Le Havre. He later revealed that he had never heard of Leicester and initially thought they were a rugby club when he was made aware of interest. A year after he signed, he led them back to the Premier League for the first time in 10 years and was also Player of the Season when they defied the odds to win the Premier League under Claudio Ranieri.

Cesar Azpilicueta - from Marseille to Chelsea (£6.5m)

Another unbelievable scoop, Chelsea bought the Spanish defender after they won their first Champions League title in Munich. Eleven years later, he left as a club legend, having won everything he could possibly win and captaining the team for long periods. Versatile on and off the pitch, he was an absolute team player, and his hard work rubbed off on his teammates.

Andrew Robertson - from Hull City to Liverpool (£8m)

Genuinely one of the most underrated players in the history of Liverpool but monumentally pivotal in all the success they achieved under Jurgen Klopp. He was in the side when they won the Champions League, when they lost the final to Madrid, and when they won the Premier League for the first time in the club’s history.

N’Golo Kante - from Caen to Leicester (£5.6m)

The story of N’Golo Kante is just remarkable. A late bloomer, he arrived at Leicester, and not many were sure he could hack it in the Premier League, but he ended up being the engine on which their Premier League-winning campaign was built. He never stopped running and continued to be the game-changer after he left for Chelsea, helping them win the league and Champions League too.

Stefan Ortega - from Arminia Bielefeld to Manchester City (free)

What a signing he’s turned out to be. He’s been so good to the point that Ederson, who has been the undisputed number one at the club, now wants to leave. Last season, it was his point-blank save from Son Heung-min that eventually ensured Manchester City won the title. In an era where everyone is expensive, Pep Guardiola got him for free. He recently signed a new deal as a reward for all his hard work, and İlkay Gündoğan, who was the captain as City won the Champions League, took to social media to tag him as one of the most underrated goalkeepers in history.