The 10 Most Expensive Transfers in Football History?

Neymar's €222m transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 was the most expensive in football history. Kylian Mbappé’s move from Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain in 2018 is second. Jack Grealish is the most expensive signing in English Premier League (EPL) history. Enzo Fernández, ranked sixth, was the highest transfer fee of 2023. 

Nothing dominates football news like big-money transfers, especially during the off-season. Transfer fees are one of the most contentious topics in modern football. Players are commodities traded for their services. Not all players are value-for-money. Cheaper transfers can be duds. For every Mohamed Salah, Luis Suárez, and Kevin de Bruyne, there is a Paul Pogba, Harry Maguire, and Moisés Caicedo: bargains versus flops.

Unfortunately for the most expensive players, their transfer fee does not always accurately gauge their value, but rather the going rate for high-profile signings. Neymar, Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Declan Rice justified their price tag. Arsenal and Manchester City had to pay the ‘English Tax’ for Rice and Grealish. Neymar and Mbappé’s fees are exorbitant based on the club doing business and the agents involved in moving the players.

Image for Kylian Mbappé playing for France

Why are Transfer Fees Expensive in Football?

The Premier League pays more for home-grown English talent. European and EFL Championship clubs drive up the price of their players because the EPL is the wealthiest league in the world. Vanity signings from egotistical owners and chairman inflate player values, leading to wasteful spending and transfer flops. 

Greedy agents plan their star player’s careers. Pogba, Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Raheem Sterling are some players used as chess pieces. Some players chase the money, not the legacy. The Saudi Pro League is an example of over-inflated transfer fees and wages based on Saudi oil money. 

No player dreams of playing for Al-Hilal or Al-Fata; they dream of Liverpool and Barcelona. Young footballers dream of the English Premier League, La Liga, and the UEFA Champions League, not the Saudi Pro League or winning the Kings Cup. SportsBoom has listed the top 10 highest transfer fees in football history.

10. Declan Rice | Good Value

Declan Rice impressed at West Ham United before his big-money move across London to Arsenal. The midfielder has excelled as The Gunners have battled Manchester City for the Premier League. Rice has become one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. 

9. Cristiano Ronaldo | Good Value

Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid, like Manchester United, after winning every team and individual honour available. The Portugal striker left Spain with two La Liga titles, four Champions League and three FIFA Club World Cup triumphs.

Although Ronaldo never won the Ballon d’Or at Juventus, he won two Serie A and Supercoppa titles and a Coppa Italia. Madrid made a profit on the sale and continued to win trophies without Ronaldo, a good deal all around.

Image for Cristiano Ronaldo

8. Jack Grealish | Good Value

Jack Grealish left Aston Villa for money and trophies; he got both. He won multiple Premier League titles, the Champions League, and the Club World Cup. Grealish has, however, fallen out of favour with Pep Guardiola, who signed Jérémy Doku, his direct replacement, given game-time to academy players and relegated Grealish to a bit-part role from the bench. 

7. Antoine Griezmann | Poor Value

Antoine Griezmann had an underwhelming three seasons at Barcelona after signing from Atlético Madrid in 2019. He did not win a La Liga Player of the Month (POTM) award and was never selected for the Team of the Season (TOTS). When he returned to Atléti, he won two POTM awards and was twice selected to the TOTS, once for providing the most assists in the league. Since being the fifth-most expensive transfer in football history, Griezmann only won one Copa del Rey before being sold back to Atléti. His time in Catalonia can be considered a flop.
 

Image for Antoine Griezmann

6. Enzo Fernández | Poor Value

Enzo Fernández is another exorbitant transfer fee shelled out by Chelsea that has failed to deliver. Todd Boehly’s takeover as chairman of Chelsea has been a disaster. His scattergun approach to transfers has left the West London club in disarray. The Blues have signed more players than any club while being fleeced for mid-level players. 

Fernández has won a FIFA World Cup and two Copa América titles but has underperformed at Chelsea. He has played 46 EPL matches, scoring three goals and providing four assists, which is not value for money when you purchase a World Cup winner for the sixth-most expensive transfer fee in football history.

5. João Félix | Poor Value

João Félix is another player who has not lived up to his transfer fee. Since signing for Atlético Madrid from Benfica, the Portuguese striker has not scored more than twelve goals in a season for club and country in his last five seasons.

Félix is a talented footballer, but he has spent the last two seasons on loan at Chelsea and Barcelona. Even if he starts scoring bucket-loads of goals, his transfer fee – the fifth-highest in world football – looks foolish. Benfica got the better of the deal.

Image for João Félix lining up for Atlético Madrid 

4. Ousmane Dembélé | Excellent Value

Ousmane Dembélé signed for Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund for the second-most expensive transfer fee in football history in 2017. He won three La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey and two Supercopa de España in Spain. Injuries hampered the winger, who left Barcelona for PSG for €50.4m in 2023. Since moving, Dembélé has won Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, and the Trophée des Champions. Dortmund, Barcelona, PSG, and the player all come out on top.

3. Philippe Coutinho | No Value

Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona is the most seismic transfer in football history. Neymar’s world-record transfer fee to PSG kickstarted a butterfly effect that reverberates. Coutinho forced a move from Liverpool to Barcelona after a season under Jürgen Klopp. The Brazilian was Liverpool’s best player, but he wanted out. 

Coutinho and his agent orchestrated a move to Catalonia for the third-highest fee ever negotiated. Klopp used the money to sign Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk; the rest is history. Alisson and Van Dijk became two of the greatest Premier League players in their positions of all time. 

They led the Merseyside club to every club honour available, including a first league title in 30 years. Coutinho flopped at Barcelona, leaving for Bayern Munich on loan. Coutinho’s career fell apart as he struggled with injuries and form. If only he listened to Klopp and stayed at Anfield, they would have built a statue of the Brazilian.

Image for Philippe Coutinho 

2. Kylian Mbappé | Great Value

Kylian Mbappé, like Pogba, Neymar, Haaland, and other prodigies, spent time at smaller clubs before ending up at Real Madrid. PSG shelled out the second-biggest transfer fee in football history after Mbappé led Monaco to an improbable Ligue 1 title in 2017.

Mbappé, with a host of superstar footballers, won five out of the next six league titles. Four Coupe de France, three Trophée des Champions, and two Coupe de la Ligue titles followed. Mbappé won the World Cup before leaving for his pre-ordained destination of Madrid in 2024.

Image for Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, and Neymar