The 10 most expensive French players of all time

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 14 Nov 2024 14:12 GMT
• 6 min read

France are a footballing giant and they arguably possess the best squad depth of any country on the planet.

Some of the world’s most expensive players are available to the France national team and they won the 2018 World CUp, before reaching the final yet again in 2022.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the 10 most expensive French players of all time.

READ MORE: The 10 most expensive English players of all time

10. Thomas Lemar - €72m (Monaco to Atletico Madrid, 2018)

Thomas Lemar was expected to leave Monaco following their Ligue 1 triumph in 2017, but a move to Liverpool failed to materialise and he eventually joined Atletico Madrid 12 months later.

Lemar departed Monaco with 127 games played for the club, notching over 50 goal contributions.

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9. Zinedine Zidane - €77.5m (Juventus to Real Madrid, 2001)

Real Madrid broke their own record for the most expensive transfer in football history when they paid €77.5m to sign Juventus midfielder Zinedine Zidane in 2001.

The France legend had spent the past five years in Turin, racking up 212 appearances for the Old Lady, while he also helped his country win the 1998 World Cup during his time at the club.

He went on to become an icon at Real Madrid, winning six trophies with Los Blancos, including the Champions League during his debut campaign.

8. Lucas Hernandez - €80m (Atletico Madrid to Bayern Munich, 2019)

Bayern Munich shocked the European football world when they made Lucas Hernandez their most expensive signing of all time in 2019.

He starred at left-back in France’s triumph at the 2018 World Cup, but he failed to justify his insane transfer fee during his four-year stint at the Allianz Arena.

Injury issues and competition from Alphonso Davies limited Hernandez to just 107 games at Bayern, while he never mustered more than 25 Bundesliga appearances in a single campaign. He left to join PSG in 2023.

7. Aurelien Tchouameni - €80m (Monaco to Real Madrid, 2022)

Aurelien Tchouameni was heavily linked with a Monaco exit in 2021, amid interest from Chelsea, but he eventually joined Real Madrid the following year.

Liverpool also wanted to sign the France midfielder, but he had his heart set on a move to Los Blancos and the Spanish giants paid an initial €80m to bring him to La Liga.

Tchouameni left Monaco with 95 appearances for the club.

6. Wesley Fofana - €80.4m (Leicester to Chelsea, 2022)

Wesley Fofana was an immense talent at both St Etienne and Leicester City, but his move to Chelsea was an extremely risky transfer for the Blues.

The French defender had missed the majority of the 2021-22 season due to an ACL injury, yet the Stamford Bridge outfit opted to make him the fourth most expensive defender in history at the time of the deal.

Fofana then missed the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign thanks to another ACL tear before returning to full fitness upon Enzo Maresca’s arrival as head coach.

5. Randal Kolo Muani - €95m (Eintracht Frankfurt to PSG, 2023)

Eintracht Frankfurt earned a €95m profit on Randal Kolo Muani in just one year, having signed the Frenchman on a free transfer before selling him for just shy of €100m.

He scored 26 goals and provided 17 assists during his sole campaign in Germany, while he impressed during France’s run to the 2022 World Cup final.

PSG won the race for his signature in 2023, fighting off competition from a number of top Premier League clubs.

4. Paul Pogba - €105m (Juventus to Man Utd, 2016)

Paul Pogba became the world’s most expensive player when he re-joined Manchester United in 2016, but he is now the fourth priciest French footballer in history.

After leaving Old Trafford to pursue regular first-team football, he enjoyed a sublime four-year spell at Juventus, racking up 190 appearances, 34 goals and nine trophies in Turin.

He won the 2013 Golden Boy award before being nominated for the Ballon d’Or the following year. Pogba’s time back at Man Utd didn’t go as planned, however, and he failed to live up to his €105m price tag.

3. Antoine Griezmann - €120m (Atletico Madrid to Barcelona, 2019)

Antoine Griezmann became a legend during his time with Atletico Madrid, however he risked that status by leaving the club to join Barcelona in 2019.

The Blaugrana were keen to bolster their attack and Griezmann arrived for a whopping €120m. His time at Camp Nou wasn’t disastrous, but the Frenchman didn’t hit the heights expected of him, scoring 35 goals in 102 appearances.

He returned to Atleti on a two-year loan deal in 2021 and the move became permanent in 2023.

2. Ousmane Dembele - €135m (Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona, 2017)

Ousmane Dembele had made just 29 senior appearances for Stade Rennais when Borussia Dortmund opted to sign him in 2016, but that decision paid off massively.

The Frenchman enjoyed a sublime campaign at the Signal Iduna Park, tallying 10 goals and 22 assists across all competitions, which attracted interest from Barcelona.

The Blaugrana were eager to replace Neymar and they identified Dembele as his perfect successor. However, injury issues plagued his time at Camp Nou and he left to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.

1. Kylian Mbappe - €180m (Monaco to PSG, 2018)

Kylian Mbappe is the most expensive French player in football history, courtesy of his huge €180m move from Monaco to PSG in 2018.

The France superstar was the hottest young prospect in world football during his time at Monaco and he earned a move to PSG after bagging 40 goal contributions in his final season in the Principality.

Mbappe initially joined PSG on loan, but the deal became permanent for €180m in 2018 and he eventually notched 256 goals in 308 games for the club, becoming their all-time record goalscorer, before joining Real Madrid on a free transfer in 2024.

The 10 most expensive French soccer players of all time