Philippe Coutinho, Neymar and Florian Wirtz
Coutinho, Neymar and Wirtz all cost over £100million
Talented players naturally command hefty fees and Europe’s biggest clubs are willing to break the bank to sign their top transfer targets.
The likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City have all completed nine-figure deals in recent years.
We’ve taken a look at the 10 most expensive transfers of all time and how those players fared after completing their big-money move.
Note: We’ve ranked the players by including the potential add-ons. The transfer fees are also in Pounds instead of Euros.
10. Antoine Griezmann – £107.6m
Year: 2019
From: Atletico Madrid
To: Barcelona
One of three Barcelona signings on this list, Griezmann initially rejected their offer in the summer of 2018 to stay at Atletico Madrid.
But the versatile forward changed his mind a year later and Barcelona triggered the £107.6million release clause in his contract.
He proved ill-suited to Barcelona’s 4-3-3 formation and registered just 35 goals and 17 assists in 102 appearances for the club.
The 34-year-old returned to Atletico Madrid on a two-year loan deal in 2021 and the move was later made permanent for just £17million.
9. Joao Felix – £113m
Year: 2019
From: Benfica
To: Atletico Madrid
After selling Griezmann, Atletico Madrid identified Felix as the ideal replacement for the France international and paid a club-record £113million to secure his signature.
The then-19-year-old had just enjoyed a brilliant breakthrough season at Benfica in 2018/19 and went on to win the Golden Boy award later that year.
But he was unable to fulfil his huge potential under Diego Simeone, registering just 34 goals in 131 appearances in all competitions.
The Portugal international also had underwhelming loan spells at Chelsea and Barcelona before rejoining the former in a £46.3million deal in 2024.
8= Jude Bellingham – £115m
Year: 2023
From: Borussia Dortmund
To: Real Madrid
Real Madrid fought off competition from Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United to sign Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund.
They paid the Bundesliga side an initial £88.5million and the add-ons could see the fee rise to £115million – a record deal for a British player.
He made a seamless transition into Spanish football and won the La Liga Player of the Season award in his debut campaign after helping Madrid win the title by 10 points.
The England international also lifted the Champions League in 2023/24 and registered an assist against Dortmund in the final.
He came to create history. 🫲🫱
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) May 4, 2024
8= Moises Caicedo – £115m
Year: 2023
From: Brighton
To: Chelsea
Chelsea broke the British transfer record twice in the space of just six months in 2023, first by signing Enzo Fernandez from Benfica in a deal worth £106.7million in January before bringing Caicedo to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues agreed to pay an initial £100million and another £15million in potential add-ons to sign the Ecuador international from Brighton.
He had a mixed debut season in 2023/24 but has since cemented his status as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
“The beginning was tough for me, because you are at a big club, the price, you always have to win every game,” Caicedo said.
“It was tough for me because when I was in Brighton, the pressure is less. At Chelsea, it is different. I felt a lot of pressure because you know the club, the history, the players who were there. But after the last four or five months, I felt more comfortable at the club.”
6. Florian Wirtz – £116m
Year: 2025
From: Bayer Leverkusen
To: Liverpool
The latest addition to the top 10 was finalised this summer, with Wirtz leaving boyhood club Bayer Leverkusen to join Liverpool.
The Reds have forked out a club-record and Premier League-record fee on the 22-year-old, paying an initial £100million and another £16million in add-ons.
“He’s definitely worth the money, he’s a little magician,” former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld said. “I don’t want to compare him with other players but he is definitely going to be one of the most exciting players next season.”
5. Eden Hazard – £130m
Year: 2019
From: Chelsea
To: Real Madrid
Having established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League, Hazard left Chelsea and completed his long-awaited move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2019.
The LaLiga side paid an initial £88.5million and £41.5million in add-ons to secure his signature and also gave the winger the iconic No.7 shirt.
But he struggled with a number of injury problems after arriving at the Bernabeu and was unable to replicate his Chelsea form in a Madrid shirt.
The former Belgium international registered seven goals and 12 assists in 76 appearances before mutually agreeing to terminate his contract at the end of the 2022/23 season.
4. Ousmane Dembele – £135.5m
Year: 2017
From: Borussia Dortmund
To: Barcelona
Despite only having two seasons of senior football under his belt, Dembele joined Barcelona in 2017 in a deal worth an initial £96.8million and another £38.7million in add-ons.
The France international went on to register 40 goals and 43 assists in 185 appearances for the club, winning three La Liga titles and two Copa del Rey trophies.
But his six-year spell at the Camp Nou was plagued by injury problems, a lack of consistency and reports of an unprofessional attitude.
The 28-year-old was sold to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023 for a fee of around £43.5million and is now living up to his potential.
3. Philippe Coutinho – £142m
Year: 2018
From: Liverpool
To: Barcelona
After signing Dembele, Barcelona continued their spending spree in the 2018 January transfer window and forked out an initial £106.5million to sign Coutinho from Liverpool.
The move also included another £35.5million in potential add-ons to take the overall package to £142million, making him the most expensive signing in La Liga history.
He failed to live up to expectations at Camp Nou and registered just 25 goals and 14 assists in 106 appearances in all competitions.
The Brazil international had loan spells at Bayern Munich and Aston Villa before joining the latter in a £17million deal in 2022.
2. Kylian Mbappe – £166m
Year: 2018
From: Monaco
To: Paris Saint-Germain
Mbappe came through the ranks at Monaco and burst onto the scene in 2016/17 before joining Paris Saint-Germain on an initial loan deal.
PSG made the move permanent the following summer, paying their Ligue 1 rivals an initial £133million and another £33million in potential add-ons.
The France international more than justified that price tag, scoring 256 goals in 308 appearances while winning six Ligue 1 titles and a host of individual awards.
While PSG accepted a world-record £259million bid from Al-Hilal in the summer of 2023, he was not interested in a move to Saudi Arabia and joined Real Madrid on a free transfer a year later.
𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 🎨
Messi-to-Mbappé for the 200th goal in his @PSG_English career.#OMPSG | @KMbappe pic.twitter.com/bRmWuDItTs
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) February 26, 2023
1. Neymar – £198m
Year: 2017
From: Barcelona
To: Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain sent shockwaves across the footballing world by triggering the £198million release clause in Neymar’s Barcelona contract.
He became the most expensive footballer of all time and the deal more than doubled the previous world record fee of £89million.
The Brazil international won five Ligue 1 titles and eight domestic cup trophies during his time in France but was unable to lead PSG to their first Champions League title.
After struggling with injury problems and falling out of favour in 2023, Neymar joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in a deal that could ultimately be worth £77million.
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