Top 10 Most Expensive Deadline Day Transfers in Football History
The 2024 summer transfer window deadline day is near. While most clubs have made their major transfers complete by now, some are still looking to settle things at the last moment. During this transfer window, we saw many deals. From Kylian Mbappe signing on a “free” deal with his dream club Real Madrid, to rivals Atletico Madrid paying the biggest fee this month to lure Julian Alvarez, we have seen it all.
The deals were going at the usual pace till now, but it’s time for the football fraternity to fasten their seatbelts now. As the last 24 hours of the off-field battle bring in some sensational drama, read below to know the most expensive deadline day transfers in history:
Top 10 Most expensive deadline day transfers:
10. Giannelli Imbula: FC Porto to Stoke City (€24.25 million)
Once a promising defensive midfielder, Giannelli Imbula signed on February 1, 2016, for English side Stoke City. The fee was a big one for Stoke City, however Imbula never looked settled here. As a result, he was loaned to multiple clubs and played only 28 games for the club in the entire stint.
9. David Luiz: Benfica to Chelsea FC (€25 million)
Luiz to Chelsea is one of the best deals done by the Blues. Ever since signing for the Blues in January 2011, he was the anchor of their backline. He played for over a decade in the English club before getting sold to Paris Saint Germain in 2014, for a fee that was double the amount he was brought in for by Chelsea. The Brazilian left Chelsea as a legend, with 248 official games successfully defended.
8. Luis Suarez: Ajax to Liverpool (€26.50 million)
One of the finest strikers in the 2010s, Luis Suarez also has his name among the costliest deadline day deals. In his early days, Liverpool signed the upcoming legend from Ajax in 2011. He had extraordinary figures for the Reds, playing 133 games and having 82 goals and 34 assists to his name. He left for FC Barcelona just after three years and spent his prime there.
Also Read: Ranking the top 10 best deadline day transfers in Football history
7. Lucas Moura: PSG to Spurs (€28.40 million)
It was January 2018, and Tottenham Hotspur were desperately in need of a right-winger. Lucas Moura was the solution they looked for and they didn’t hesitate to spend big on the Paris Saint Germain star. The deal however proved to be average, as he had 66 goal contributions in 229 matches till the end, before going to Sao Paulo for free.
6. Juan Cuadrado: Fiorentina to Chelsea (€31 million)
Another Chelsea FC deal, this one happened in February 2015. The midfielder however never settled in the London-based club, and was loaned multiple times. He only played 15 games for Chelsea.
5. Andre Schurrle: Chelsea to Wolfsburg (€32 million)
The deal at the last moment did raise the eyes of many European football followers. The move was sudden and believed to be hurried by Wolfsburg. This didn’t turn up well too, as he played only 63 games, with 23 goal contributions.
4. Willian Borges: Shakhtar Donetsk to Anzhi (€35 million)
Borges was signed in January 2013 and was sold for a similar transfer fee to Chelsea in August of that year. For Anzhi, he played only 17 games but had seven goal contributions.
3. Andy Carroll: Newcastle United to Liverpool (€41 million)
Carroll to Liverpool is one of the most highlighted deadline day deals. He arrived for a transfer fee which was multiple times his then market value. He too never looked settled and was loaned to various teams. He was later sold to West Ham for 17.5 million Euros.
2. Fernando Torres: Liverpool to Chelsea (€58.50 million)
Torres’s signing for Chelsea was shocking, especially after his heroics with Liverpool. However, he did so in the last minutes of 2011 and had a decent career with Chelsea. For the Blues, he played in 172 games, scoring 45 goals and assisting 31.
1. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal (€63.75 million)
The most expensive deadline day deal happened on January 31, 2018. Aubameyang signed for Arsenal and rocked the Premier League since then. He played for the Gunners for four seasons, before leaving for FC Barcelona on a free transfer in another deadline-day deal. Aubameyang was one the best in the business during his stint with the English club, scoring 92 goals and providing 21 assists in 163 total appearances.
PS: All data taken from Transfermarkt
Also Read: Top 10 most overrated transfers in football history