Liverpool has climbed to the top of a global ranking of the most expensively assembled football teams following another summer of significant transfer business at Anfield
Bradley Barcola of Liverpool runs off the ball during the Premier League match against Ipswich Town
Bradley Barcola is one of Liverpool's most expensive signings in recent times(Image: Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Liverpool has dethroned Premier League rival Chelsea to have the world's most expensively assembled football team, according to the CIES Football Observatory.
Despite a relatively quiet summer in terms of overall incomings, the Reds still spent big money with the acquisition of Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola. In the final days of the transfer window, the Frenchman was signed for an initial £106 million ($143 million), potentially rising to £123 million ($166 million) with all the add-ons.
Otherwise, Jeremy Jacquet officially joined the club after a deal was agreed for the defender back in January. Victor Munoz was signed from Osasuna for a much less substantial fee due to a release clause, and Barcelona's Ronald Araujo has only been brought in on loan.
It must be said that the Reds' movement in the CIES standings is largely down to the significant outlay of last summer. Of course, large portions of it were offset by the sales of Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz, but the club broke the British transfer record twice in the 2025 window.
Liverpool first signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal potentially rising to £116 million ($157 million), before smashing the record to land Alexander Isak from Newcastle on deadline day for £125 million ($169 million). That also came in the summer when both Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez were brought to the club, albeit for far less substantial fees, and Hugo Ekitike was signed from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The CIES Football Observatory's Weekly Post ranks teams across the globe based on who has invested the most in transfer fees, which includes all add-ons and is based on the players currently in each squad. The latest standings have Liverpool's squad at £1.052 billion ($1.425 billion), moving the Reds up three places compared with last year's data.
Liverpool has now replaced Chelsea at the top of the standings, while the top six places are all occupied by English clubs. Manchester City is in second, followed by Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal.
Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz of Liverpool during a pre-season friendly match against Como
Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz were signed for big money last summer(Image: Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Real Madrid, in seventh, is the highest-ranked team outside of the Premier League, with Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain close behind. Newcastle and Aston Villa make up the remainder of the top 10.
Liverpool, of course, is yet to reap the benefits of its significant outlay, with the last 12 months representing a huge transition from a title-winning team. A managerial change this summer also means it's difficult to predict exactly how the Reds will do this season.
So far this term, new head coach Andoni Iraola' s men have won just one of their first three Premier League matches. They were held to 2-2 draws against both Newcastle and Nottingham Forest before a triumph against Ipswich Town last week secured them their first three points.
Big-money signing Barcola has addressed some of the concerns in forward positions, especially following the exit of talisman Mohamed Salah. That said, there are still issues in midfield and at right back, despite how expensive the assembled squad is, which Iraola must navigate this season.