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Top 100 most expensive football transfers of all time

The 2023-24 summer transfer window has been one of the busiest ones in the modern era. Midfielders Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo moved to the nine digits in 2023, with the latter being the most expensive Premier League transfer of all time. Transfer fees of elite players have reached an exorbitant amount and the pressure to perform for these players is colossal. It feels like yesterday when Paul Pogba became the first £100m footballer in the history of the game. Here are the top 100 players with the highest transfer fees in world football.

Pos.PlayerClubsYearFee
1NeymarBarcelona – PSG2017€222m
2Kylian MbappeMonaco – PSG2017€145m (+€35m)
3Joao FelixBenfica – Atletico Madrid2019€126m
4Enzo FernandezBenfica – Chelsea2023€121m
=5Philippe CoutinhoLiverpool – Barcelona2018€120m (+€40m)
=5Antoine GriezmannAtletico Madrid – Barcelona2019€120m
=7Moises CaicedoBrighton – Chelsea2023€117m (+€17.5m)
=7Declan RiceWest Ham – Arsenal2023€117m (+€6m)
=7Jack GrealishAston Villa – Manchester City2021€117m
10Romelu LukakuInter – Chelsea2021€115m
=11Ousmane DembeleBorussia Dortmund – Barcelona2017€105m (+€40m)
=11Paul PogbaJuventus – Manchester United2016€105m (+€5m)
13Jude BellinghamDortmund – Real Madrid2023€103m (+€31m)
14Gareth BaleTottenham – Real Madrid2013€100.8m
=15Eden HazardChelsea – Real Madrid2019€100m (+€46m)
=15Harry KaneTottenham – Bayern Munich2023€100m (+€16m)
=15Cristiano RonaldoReal Madrid – Juventus2018€100m
18AntonyAjax – Manchester United2022€95m (+€5m)
=19Harry MaguireLeicester City – Manchester United2019€94m
=19Cristiano RonaldoManchester United – Real Madrid2009€94m
=21Gonzalo HiguainNapoli – Juventus2016€90m
=21NeymarPSG – Al-Hilal2023€90m
=21Josko GvardiolRB Leipzig – Manchester City2023€90m
24Romelu LukakuEverton – Manchester United2017€88m (+€17.5m)
25NeymarSantos – Barcelona2013€86.2m
26Jadon SanchoBorussia Dortmund – Manchester United2021€85m
27Virgil van DijkSouthampton – Liverpool2018€84.5m
28Luis SuarezLiverpool – Barcelona2014€82m
29Wesley FofanaLeicester City – Chelsea2022€80.5m (+€6m)
=30Aurelien TchouameniMonaco – Real Madrid2022€80m (+€20m)
=30James RodriguezMonaco – Real Madrid2014€80m
=32Kepa ArrizabalagaAthletic Club – Chelsea2018€80m
=33Lucas HernandezAtletico Madrid – Bayern Munich2019€80m
=33Romelu LukakuManchester United – Inter2019€80m
35Nicolas PepeLille – Arsenal2019€79m
36Alvaro MorataReal Madrid – Chelsea2017€78.9m
37Zinedine ZidaneJuventus – Real Madrid2001€77.5m
=38Darwin NunezBenfica – Liverpool2022€75m (+€25m)
=38Randal Kolo MuaniEintracht Frankfurt – PSG2023€75m (+€15m)
=38Matthijs de LigtAjax – Juventus2019€75m (+€10.5m)
=38Rasmus HojlundAtalanta – Manchester United2023€75m (+€9m)
=38Kevin De BruyneWolfsburg – Manchester City2015€75m
=38Frenkie de JongAjax – Barcelona2019€75m
=38Dusan VlahovicFiorentina – Juventus2022€75m
45Angel Di MariaReal Madrid – Manchester United2014€74.6m
46Alisson BeckerRoma – Liverpool2018€73m
47Arthur MeloBarcelona – Juventus2020€72m (+€10m)
48Kai HavertzChelsea-Arsenal2023€72m (+€3.5m)
49CasemiroReal Madrid – Manchester United2022€71m (+€11.8m)
=50Mykhailo MudrykShakhtar Donetsk – Chelsea2023€70m (+€30m)
=50Kai HavertzBayer Leverkusen – Chelsea2020€70m (+€9m)
=50Luka JovicEintracht Frankfurt – Real Madrid2019€70m
=50RodriAtletico Madrid – Manchester City2019€70m
=50Sandro TonaliAC Milan – Newcastle United2023€70m
=50Dominik SzoboszlaiRB Leipzig – Liverpool2023€70m
56Zlatan IbrahimovicInter – Barcelona2009€69.5m
57Raheem SterlingLiverpool – Manchester City2015€69.1m
58Ruben DiasBenfica – Manchester City2020€68m (+€3.6m)
59Riyad MahrezLeicester City – Manchester City2019€67.8m
60Matthijs de LigtJuventus – Bayern Munich2022€67m (+€10m)
61Diego CostaChelsea – Atletico Madrid2018€66m
62Marc CucurellaBrighton – Chelsea2022€65.1m (+€8.2m)
=63Alexander IsakReal Sociedad – Newcastle United2022€65m (+€5m)
=63Thomas LemarMonaco – Atletico Madrid2018€65m
=63Jeremy DokuRennes – Manchester City2023€65m
=63KakaAC Milan – Real Madrid2009€65m
=63Aymeric LaporteAthletic Club – Manchester City2018€65m
=63Joao CanceloJuventus – Manchester City2019€65m (inc. Danilo)
69Edinson CavaniNapoli – PSG2013€64.5m
70Christian PulisicBorussia Dortmund – Chelsea2019€64m
71Mason MountChelsea – Manchester United2023€63.9m (+€5.8m)
72Pierre-Emerick AubameyangBorussia Dortmund – Arsenal2018€63.75m
=73David LuizChelsea – PSG2014€62m (+€6m)
=73Romeo LaviaSouthampton – Chelsea2023€62m (+€6m)
=73Matheus NunesWolves – Manchester City2023€62m
76Angel Di MariaManchester United – PSG2015€61.6m
=77Achraf HakimiInter – PSG2021€60m (+€11m)
=77Miralem PjanicJuventus – Barcelona2020€60m (+€5m)
=77OscarChelsea – Shanghai SIPG2017€60m
=77Christopher NkunkuRB Leipzig – Chelsea2023€60m
=77Manuel UgarteSporting CP – PSG2023€60m
=77Erling HaalandBorussia Dortmund – Manchester City2022€60m
=77Naby KeitaRB Leipzig – Liverpool2018€60m
=77Luis FigoBarcelona – Real Madrid2000€60m
=77Tanguy NdombeleLyon – Tottenham2019€60m
=77MalcomZenit – Al-Hilal2023€60m
=77OtavioPorto – Al-Nassr2023€60m
88RaphinhaLeeds United – Barcelona2022€59m (+€6m)
89Fernando TorresLiverpool – Chelsea2011€59m
=90FredShakhtar Donetsk – Manchester United2018€58.9m
=90JorginhoNapoli – Chelsea2018€58.9m
=92HulkZenit – Shanghai SIPG2016€58.6m
=92Ben WhiteBrighton – Arsenal2021€58.6m
94Benjamin MendyMonaco – Manchester City2017€58.2m
=95RicharlisonEverton – Tottenham2022€58m (+€12m)
=95John StonesEverton – Manchester City2016€58m
97Kyle WalkerTottenham – Manchester City2017€56.7m
98Raheem SterlingManchester City – Chelsea2022€56.2m
99Ben ChilwellLeicester City – Chelsea2020€55.8m
100Lisandro MartinezAjax – Manchester United2022€55.3m (+€12.5m)

Most Expensive British Football Player

Most Expensive British Football Player
Declan Rice celebrating (Getty Images)

Declan Rice became the most expensive British footballer of all time when Arsenal obliterated their transfer record with the mammoth €117m (plus add-ons) transfer fee. He moved from West Ham United to Arsenal breaking Jack Grealish’s previously-held record transfer fee of €117m Manchester City paid in 2021.

The Arsenal management sees Rice as a long-term investment for the club who will stay at the heart of the club’s midfield in years to come. Rice has consistently demonstrated exceptional performances at West Ham and the transition to Arsenal will be a big step up for the English midfielder.

Most Expensive Teenager in Football

Most Expensive Teenager in Football
Kylian Mbappe (Getty Images)

PSG spent a whopping €180m for 18-year-old teenager Kylian Mbappe in the summer of 2018, making him not only the most expensive teenager of all time but also the second most expensive football transfers ever. The French giants did not waste any time in securing a permanent deal for the AS Monaco prodigy.

The 2022 Golden Boot winner introduced himself to the world when he helped Monaco win the Ligue 1 in the 2016/17 season.

Most Expensive Defender

Most Expensive Defender
Harry Maguire (Getty Images)

Harry Maguire remains the most expensive defender to date following his controversial move from Leicester City in 2019. Manchester United spent a staggering €94m for the English defender, a world-record fee for any defender to date.

Josko Gvardiol is the second most expensive defender following his €90m move to Manchester City from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023.

Most Expensive Goalkeeper

Most Expensive Goalkeeper
Kepa Arrizabalaga (Getty Images)

Kepa Arrizabalaga became the most expensive goalkeeper when Chelsea forked out €80m for his services in the summer of 2018. The Athletic Bilbao prodigy spent only two seasons with the club registering 53 La Liga appearances in the process.

Since his move to Stamford Bridge, the Spaniard has made some high-profile errors and has fallen out of favour under different managers at Chelsea. In 2023, Kepa secured a season-long move to Real Madrid but the Galacticos are unlikely to trigger a permanent deal for the Spaniard.

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