
The current most expensive transfer ever was set in August 2017 when Neymar moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for €222 million (£190 million). With several massive deals already completed, the 2022/23 season promises to be one of the most spectacular in the history of football transfer fees. Erling Haaland’s €60 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City was insufficient to break the record for the most expensive transfers of all time, but Aurelien Tchouameni and Darwin Nunez joined an elite group of players who have moved for €100 million when they completed their moves to Real Madrid and Liverpool, respectively.
Furthermore, Richarlison’s €70 million transfer from Everton to Tottenham and Raphinha’s €65 million transfer from Leeds to Barcelona both put them on the list of the most expensive players ever. When Matthijs de Ligt moved from Juventus to Bayern Munich in 2022, he became the fifth player to join the list of the top 30 most expensive transfer fees of all time. The Dutchman was already on the list appreciation to his previous transfer from Ajax to Juventus in 2019, and he is now the most expensive defender in history in terms of combined transfer fees. Here’s a list of the biggest expensive transfers ever.
Top most expensive football transfers of all time | World record transfer fees

Rank | Most Expensive Player | From | To | World record transfer fees (€ millions) | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Neymar | Barcelona | Paris Saint-Germain | €222 | 2017 |
2 | Kylian Mbappe | Monaco | Paris Saint-Germain | €180 | 2018 |
3 | Philippe Coutinho | Liverpool | Barcelona | €145 | 2018 |
4 | Joao Felix | Benfica | Atletico Madrid | €126 | 2019 |
5 | Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid | Barcelona | €120 | 2019 |
6 | Jack Grealish | Aston Villa | Man City | €117 | 2021 |
7 | Romelu Lukaku | Inter Milan | Chelsea | €115 | 2021 |
8 | Ousmane Dembele | Borussia Dortmund | Barcelona | €105 | 2017 |
9 | Paul Pogba | Juventus | Man Utd | €105 | 2016 |
10 | Eden Hazard | Chelsea | Real Madrid | €100 | 2019 |
=11 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Juventus | €100 | 2018 |
=12 | Gareth Bale | Tottenham Hotspur | Real Madrid | €100 | 2013 |
13 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Man Utd | Real Madrid | €94 | 2009 |
14 | Gonzalo Higuain | Napoli | Juventus | €90 | 2016 |
15 | Harry Maguire | Leicester City | Man Utd | €87 | 2019 |
16 | Romelu Lukaku | Everton | Man Utd | €85 | 2017 |
17 | Jadon Sancho | Borussia Dortmund | Man Utd | €85 | 2021 |
18 | Virgil van Dijk | Southampton | Liverpool | €84.5 | 2018 |
19 | Kai Havertz | Bayer Leverkusen | Chelsea | €84 | 2020 |
20 | Luis Suarez | Liverpool | Barcelona | €82.3 | 2014 |
21 | Romelu Lukaku | Man Utd | Inter Milan | €80 | 2019 |
=22 | Nicolas Pepe | Lille | Arsenal | €80 | 2019 |
=23 | Kepa Arrizabalaga | Athletic Bilbao | Chelsea | €80 | 2018 |
=24 | Lucas Hernandez | Atletico Madrid | Bayern Munich | €80 | 2019 |
=25 | Aurelien Tchouameni | Monaco | Real Madrid | €80 | 2022 |
=26 | Matthijs de Ligt | Juventus | Bayern Munich | €80 | 2022 |
27 | Zinedine Zidane | Juventus | Real Madrid | €76 | 2001 |
28 | Angel Di Maria | Real Madrid | Man Utd | €75.6 | 2014 |
29 | Matthijs de Ligt | Ajax | Juventus | €75 | 2019 |
=30 | Frenkie de Jong | Ajax | Barcelona | €75 | 2019 |
Note: The Most Expensive Player Transfer Data Credited By: Wikipedia 2022
Neymar to PSG transfer fee – €222m

Overall, Neymar’s transfer to PSG cost the French club 489,228,117 euros. The contract also included a one-year extension clause at PSG that, if activated, would extend Neymar’s stay at the club until June 30, 2023. Neymar became the most expensive footballer in history after moving from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017. The Brazilian left Barcelona for PSG in a €222 million (£200 million) deal, capping off an impressive four-year stay with the Catalan club. With Neymar joining PSG, the French club set a new world record for football transfers. Since then, the most expensive transfer in football history has not come close to matching the record. Kylian Mbappe switched from Monaco to PSG in the same summer as Neymar, though the deal did not become permanent until 2018. It was worth €180 million and is the second-highest transfer fee in history.
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Most Expensive Transfers Ever: World record transfer fees
With the acquisition of Neymar, the world record transfer fees surpassed Paul Pogba as the most expensive transfer of all time. Pogba previously set the all-time transfer record when he moved from Juventus to Manchester United for €105 million in 2016. Prior to that, the most expensive transfer in history was Gareth Bale’s €101 million move from Tottenham to Real Madrid in 2013. Cristiano Ronaldo’s four-year reign at the top came to an end with that move, which cost €94 million when he moved to Madrid from Manchester United in 2009.
Because of the rapid rise in market values, that move is no longer even in the top ten. Since the turn of the century, other world record transfer holders have included Kaka (2009), Zinedine Zidane (2001), Luis Figo (2000), and Hernan Crespo (2000). Between 1996 and 1999, the transfer record was held by Ronaldo and Alan Shearer before being reclaimed by the Brazilian striker when he joined Inter in 1997. He is the only player to have held the record twice since the late Diego Maradona. Following Ronaldo, Denilson and Christian Vieri were given the privilege.
Who is the most expensive goalkeeper ever?

Chelsea will have regretted their decision to make Kepa Arrizabalaga the most expensive goalkeeper transfer in football history when they paid €80 million to sign the Spain keeper from Athletic Bilbao in August 2018. Chelsea had signed Edouard Mendy to replace him as number one after a string of high-profile gaffes. Kepa broke the record previously held by Alisson, a much more successful signing for Liverpool. Kepa Arrizabalaga is on the verge of leaving Chelsea this summer. The Spaniard joined the Blues for £71 million, a world record fee for a goalkeeper, but has struggled to live up to his lofty price tag.
A month before Kepa joined Chelsea, they paid €62.5 million to sign him from Roma, and the Brazil international, along with defender Virgil van Dijk, helped to address major weaknesses that were holding Liverpool back. Alisson, a Brazilian international, helped Liverpool win the Champions League and Premier League in consecutive seasons. The top five are Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea to Real Madrid), Ederson (Benfica to Manchester City), and Gianluigi Buffon (Parma to Juventus).
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10 Most valuable goalkeepers | Who is the most expensive goalkeeper?

Rankings | Goalkeeper | Club | Market Value |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid | €85.4m |
2. | Ederson | Manchester City | €71.2m |
3. | Alisson Becker | Liverpool | €69m |
4. | Gianluigi Donnarumma | PSG | €59.2m |
5. | Jan Oblak | Atletico Madrid | €50.6m |
6. | Unai Simon | Athletic Bilbao | €40.1m |
7. | Marc-Andre ter Stegen | Barcelona | €35.6m |
8. | Mike Maignan | AC Milan | €33.4m |
9. | Jose Sa | Wolverhampton Wanderers | €30.6m |
10. | Jordan Pickford | Everton | €30m |
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Most expensive transfers ever: Who is the most expensive defender of all time?
Harry Maguire, who joined Manchester United from Leicester City for €87 million in 2019, holds the record transfer for a defender. Maguire surpassed Virgil van Dijk, who joined Liverpool from Southampton a year ago for €84.5 million. The top five are rounded out by Lucas Hernandez (to Bayern Munich) and Matthijs de Ligt (to Juventus and Bayern Munich).
Most expensive transfers ever: Who is the most expensive midfielder in the world?

Jamal Musiala is the most valuable attacking midfielder in the world right now, valued at €105.3 million. The Bayern Munich youngster is quick, intelligent, and skilled at both scoring and creating chances for his teammates. Philippe Coutinho was the most expensive midfielder transfer (even though he can also play further forward) – a move that did not work out for Barcelona. When Coutinho pushed to leave Liverpool for Barcelona, he became the most expensive January transfer signing in history. The Catalans had not found a suitable replacement for Neymar and believed that spending big on his compatriot would solve their problems. He has since moved on to Aston Villa. Following them are Jack Grealish, Aurelien Tchouameni, Paul Pogba, and Kai Havertz, with Zinedine Zidane still prominent despite his move to Real Madrid from Juventus 20 years ago.
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Who is the most expensive forward of all time?

The top two spots in this expensive forwards ranking, as well as the overall list, are held by Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Brazil’s Neymar is also the most expensive South American signing of all time, with Mbappe holding the European record. Although the list of the top 10 attackers in the game is dominated by Premier League players, Kylian Mbappe is the most valuable forward in football.
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The most expensive teenagers in world football?

When Kylian Mbappe joined PSG, he became the most expensive teenage transfer ever. That transfer broke the record previously held by Anthony Martial, who joined Manchester United from Monaco in 2015. Since Mbappe, there have been some significant transfers for teenagers, but none have threatened the record. Atletico Madrid paid €126 million for Joao Felix, Juventus paid €75 million for Matthijs de Ligt in 2019, and Real Madrid paid over €45 million for Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior. Paris Saint-Germain wasted no time in signing Kylian Mbappe, who had been impressing since his days at AS Monaco. In 2018, the French giants paid €180 million to make a loan agreement permanent. Mbappe is now not only the most expensive teenager in history but also the second most expensive transfer in history.
Mbappe was the second of PSG’s mega-money signings in 2017 and completely changed the landscape of the transfer market. He arrived on a loan deal with a clause that would be made permanent if Les Parisiens avoided relegation. This was unavoidable and was only put in place to avoid Financial Fair Play. Mbappe has come a long way toward realizing his full potential at Parc des Princes, winning the World Cup in 2018 and continuing to score at a prodigious rate. A hat-trick against Barcelona in the 2020/21 Champions League last 16 at Camp Nou seemed to confirm his meteoric rise.
Top 10 most expensive teenagers in world football history
- Kylian Mbappe – €180m
- Joao Felix – €127.2m
- Matthijs de Ligt – €85.5m
- Anthony Martial – €60m
- Rodrygo – €45m
- Vinicius Jr – €45m
- Fabio Silva – €40m
- Luke Shaw – €37.5m
- Wayne Rooney – €37m
- Javier Saviola – €35.9m
Who is the most expensive English football player of all time?
When Jack Grealish joined Manchester City from Aston Villa in 2021, he surpassed Harry Maguire as the most expensive Englishman in history, costing £100 million (or €118 million). He also surpassed Gareth Bale as the most expensive British transfer ever, surpassing the Welshman’s 2013 move from Tottenham to Real Madrid.
Who is the most expensive North American players?
Christian Pulisic holds the record for the most expensive North American player transfer ever. He joined Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund for €64 million in 2019 and has yet to fully recover from injuries. Unless Canada international Alphonso Davies, one of the game’s best rising stars, ever leaves Bayern Munich, the North American record may not be threatened in the coming years. Two Mexican players are the closest to Pulisic in this ranking. Hirving Lozano joined Napoli from PSV for €42 million in 2019, while Raul Jimenez cost Wolves €41 million in loan and transfer fees the same year. Hirving Lozano is currently one of the most valuable players in North America.
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Who is the most expensive African player of all time?
Pepe tops the list, and he is not only the most expensive African player in history but also the most expensive player in Arsenal history. Nicolas Pepe is the most significant African player transfer. Arsenal paid an eye-watering £72 million to sign the Ivory Coast forward from Lille in 2019. Pepe has not trained at Emirates Stadium. Lille is also in charge of the second-highest paid move involving an African player. In 2020, they sold Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen to Napoli for €70 million. Riyad Mahrez of Algeria has been a successful signing for Manchester City, who paid €67.8 million to bring him in from Leicester in 2018.
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Who has the highest combined transfer fees?

Romelu Lukaku in 2021, has surpassed Neymar as the player with the highest combined transfer fees of all time, with transfers involving Anderlecht, Chelsea (twice), Everton, Manchester United, and Inter totaling an incredible €328 million. His last three permanent moves alone cost €280 million. Lukaku is the most expensive player in history in terms of total transfer fees, and his lead has grown since his €8 million loan.
List of 10 players who has the highest combined transfer fees.
- Romelu Lukaku – €343m
- Neymar – €308m
- Cristiano Ronaldo – €221m
- Alvaro Morata – €180m
- Kylian Mbappe – €180m
- Philippe Coutinho – €194m
- Eden Hazard – €175m
- Antoine Griezmann – €174m
- Angel Di Maria – €170m
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic – €160m
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Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our article on the list of the Top most expensive transfers ever. Please drop your opinions in the comment box. Wikipedia provided the information for the article on the most expensive transfers of all time in football history. Our website makes no guarantees about the accuracy of the information because it is subject to change.