Top-10 most expensive transfer buys in Premier League history
Outside of a match scenario, there’s nothing that quite produces drama in football than a big football transfer.
Usually starting with rumours months before actually being confirmed, following a high-profile deal from start to finish is enough to keep fans occupied when there are no matches happening.
In this time of self-isolation, due to Covid-19, many supporters will be looking at transfer rumours as they try to work out who their side could sign in the next window (whenever that will be).
With the amount of money in the Premier League now, there will surely be some eye-popping transfers during the next trading period.
But how much would a team have to pay to break into the most expensive deals in Premier League history?
Here’s the top-10 buys ever recorded (all fees according to transfermarkt) in England’s top-flight.
10. Riyad Mahrez (Leicester to Man City – £61.02million)
Two years after helping the Foxes to a miracle title win in 2016, Mahrez made a big-money switch to Manchester City, earning Leicester a whopping £59.6million profit four years after signing him from Le Havre.
9. Rodri (Atletico Madrid to Man City – £63million)
Another Manchester City signing, Pep Guardiola pounced for Rodri in the summer of 2019. The Spain international had only been at Atletico Madrid for a season before making the switch to the Etihad.
8. Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid to Manchester United – £67.5million)
Largely forgotten, Angel Di Maria didn’t have the most glittering of spells at Old Trafford but fans were more than excited when the Red Devils paid a then club-record £67.5million to land the Argentine in 2014. He lasted just one year in Manchester before moving to Paris Saint-Germain for around £44million.
7. Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg to Man City – £68.4million)
Having excelled in Germany after being moved on by Chelsea, Man City gave Kevin De Bruyne another shot in England. It’s fair to say that, nearly five years on, they made the right call. The Belgium star has not only won the Premier League twice but is amongst the finest midfielders the division has ever seen.
6. Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea – £72million)
The only goalkeeper on the list is Kepa Arrizabalaga, who moved to Chelsea in what still is a world-record fee for a player in his position. The Blues needed someone to replace the outgoing Thibaut Courtois and took a big punt in triggering the Spaniard’s Athletic Bilbao release clause with a club-record offer.
– Nicolas Pepe (Lille to Arsenal – £72million)
On par with Arrizabalaga’s transfer is Nicolas Pepe’s switch from Lille to Arsenal in the summer of 2019. Although the Gunners are paying the deal in instalments they have committed to outlaying a club-record fee for a player who’s shown flashes of what he’s capable of in his debut campaign.
4. Virgil van Dijk (Southampton to Liverpool – £76.19million)
The only Liverpool player in the top-10 and one that is deserving of the transfer fee is Virgil van Dijk. The Dutchman was impressive at Southampton but, despite that, not many would’ve predicted that he’d become so colossal for the Reds so quickly. You can’t feel too sorry for the Saints who made a profit of around £63million on the centre-back.
3. Romelu Lukaku (Everton to Manchester United – £76.23million)
A prolific goalscorer in a loan spell with West Brom and at Everton, Romelu Lukaku made a headline making move to Manchester United in 2017. Despite scoring 42 times over two seasons, the Red Devils opted to sell him to Inter Milan for around £74million in August 2019.
2. Harry Maguire (Leicester City to Manchester United – £78.3million)
One of those moves that seemed to be in the pipeline for months was Harry Maguire moving from Leicester to Manchester United. After around a season of speculation, the England star signed on at Old Trafford in the summer of 2019 in what was a world-record fee for a defender. Maguire has since been appointed as the club’s captain.
1. Paul Pogba (Juventus to Manchester United – £94.5million)
Way out front as the most expensive buy in Premier League history is Paul Pogba. Manchester United lost the Frenchman to Juventus on a free in 2012 but, in 2016, decided to launch a world-record bid in order to bring him back. Pogba has since had a rollercoaster time at Old Trafford but fans will hope they will see the best of him once again when he returns from injury.