The top 10 most expensive transfers of all time

Jude Bellingham’s £88.5m switch to Real Madrid was one of the most expensive deasl of 2023, but does not feature in the top 10 biggest transfers of all time.

10th: Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan to Chelsea – £97.5m)

Lukaku’s transfer deals over the whole of his career have come close to £300m, but the biggest of all saw him return to Chelsea in the summer of 2021.

The Belgium striker had joined the Blues from Anderlecht 10 years earlier, but spells at Everton and Manchester United followed before his 2019 move to Inter where he scored 47 goals in 65 Serie A appearances.

That goalscoring run prompted Chelsea to re-sign Lukaku for a club-record £97.5m, but his form dipped and after a car-crash interview in which he talked about his struggles and his hopes to return to Inter one day, his wish was granted sooner than expected, returning on loan.

9th: Jack Grealish (Aston Villa to Manchester City – £100m)

Aston Villa captain Grealish signed for a British record £100m in August 2021 and although he struggled to adapt to Pep Guardiola’s tactics in his first season, the England midfielder proved his worth in the 2022-23 campaign.

Grealish scored five goals and provided seven assists in the top flight during City’s Treble-winning season and there is surely more to come from the Premier League’s third most fouled player last term.

8th: Moises Caicedo (Brighton to Chelsea – £100m)

The Ecuador midfielder would become the third most expensive signing of all time if he fulfils all the criteria which would add another £15m to his transfer fee, although it is understood that roughly half of the add-ons included in the deal are easily achievable whilst the rest will be more difficult for Brighton to activate.

However, it is likely the fee will eventually rise to become a British record, surpassing the £105m the Blues paid Benfica for Enzo Fernandez.

They first tried to buy Caicedo during the January transfer window but Brighton were insistent he was not for sale and, after initially stating a desire to leave, he was persuaded to sign a new contract in March until 2027.

During the current window Chelsea had previously only been willing to go as high as £80m, a figure well short of Brighton owner Tony Bloom’s valuation, before finally agreeing to meet the requirements for a deal.

5th: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid to Barcelona – £105m)

Griezmann’s 94 goals in 168 Liga appearances for Atletico persuaded Barcelona to splash out £105m for the forward in the summer of 2019, although he tended to be in the shadows of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez during his two years at Camp Nou.

The France striker netted nine goals in his debut season and 13 in the following campaign but after failing to score in his first three games in August 2021 was loaned back to Atletico where he has been ever since.

5th: Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool to Barcelona – £105m)

If Griezmann’s spell at Barca was underwhelming, Coutinho’s was nothing short of a disaster following a high-profile move from Liverpool, who did their best to keep the Brazilian at Anfield until £105m persuaded them to go their separate ways.

Coutinho’s role in Liverpool’s midfield suited his attacking strengths, but he never settled into Barcelona’s system and after two seasons was loaned out to Bayern Munich where he also failed to fit in.

His return to Barcelona produced just four goals in 24 appearances over two seasons and eventually he joined Aston Villa after a successful loan spell, but the signs are that his return to England is not going to plan.

5th: Declan Rice (West Ham to Arsenal – £105m)

Rice became the most expensive English player in history following a £105m move from West Ham to Arsenal on a long-term contract.

The England midfielder made 245 appearances for the Irons, with his last helping the Hammers win the Europa Conference League – their first trophy since 1980.

West Ham’s joint-chairman David Sullivan confirmed the east London club had a gentleman’s agreement with Rice to allow him to leave this summer after the player had turned down the offer of a highly-lucrative new contract.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: “Declan is bringing undoubted quality to the club and he is an exceptional talent who has the potential to be very successful here.”

4th: Enzo Fernandez (Benfica to Chelsea – £106.8m)

World Cup winner Fernandez became Chelsea’s most expensive signing on transfer deadline day at the start of 2023 when he signed an eight-and-a-half-year deal in a bid to spread the cost of the transfer to fulfil financial fair play requirements.

Fernandez became the eighth signing of a frantic window for the Blues, with a total January spend by co-owner Todd Boehly of around £318m.

The Argentina midfielder was one of the highlights of a terrible campaign which saw Chelsea finish in the bottom half of the table for the first time in 29 years.

3rd: Joao Felix (Benfica to Atletico Madrid – £113m)

Joao Felix was just 19 when he joined Atletico Madrid on a seven-year contract in 2019 for a club-record transfer fee.

However, the Portugal forward has hardly been pulling up trees during his four seasons in Spain and his performance in a 1-0 defeat by Barcelona towards the end of January 2023 saw him loaned out to Chelsea for the rest of the campaign.

He was sent off on his debut in a 2-1 defeat at west London rivals Fulham and served a three-match ban, but scored in his next game against West Ham, one of four goals in 16 appearances before he returned to the Spanish capital.

2nd: Kylian Mbappe (Monaco to PSG – £160m)

Of the top 10, Mbappe stands head and shoulders above the rest following his 2017 move to the French capital where he spent the first season on loan.

The France striker’s goals helped PSG win five of the six Ligue titles on offer during his spell at the club where he has scored 148 times in 176 appearances up until the end of the 2022-23 season.

Mpabbe will be out of contract in 2024 and has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid.

1st: Neymar (Barcelona to PSG – £200m)

In 2017, money-bags PSG smashed the world record previously held by Pogba by paying the release clause in Neymar’s contract with Barcelona.

Neymar signed a five-year deal but later extended his contract for another three seasons until 2025.

The Brazil forward has scored 82 goals in 112 appearances for the Ligue 1 club, but has been linked with a summer move to Manchester United.

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