What are the most expensive transfers of all time? The 50 highest fees in history

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 1 Mar 2026 15:50 GMT
• 9 min read

TRANSFERS

The finances involved in football are at an all-time high and transfer fees are unsurprisingly eye-watering as a result.

A total of 19 players have moved clubs for at least €100 million, although Neymar remains the only superstar to have breached the €200m mark thanks to his move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the 50 most expensive footballers in history.

Who is the most expensive football player of all time?

The most expensive footballer in history is Neymar following his transfer from Barcelona to PSG in 2017.

The Brazilian left Camp Nou for PSG in a move worth €222m (£200m), ending an impressive four-year stay with Barca.

Neymar's move was the first time that a French club had claimed the world transfer record in football. The biggest transfers to take place since then have not come close to the record.

In the same summer as Neymar's move, Kylian Mbappe switched from Monaco to PSG, though the deal did not become permanent until 2018. It was worth €180m and is the second highest transfer fee of all time.

World record transfers

Neymar's move to PSG saw him claim the title for the biggest transfer of all time from Paul Pogba.

Pogba had previously set the all-time transfer record in 2016, with his move from Juventus to Manchester United costing €105m.

Gareth Bale, who left Tottenham for Real Madrid in 2013 in a €101m deal, held the record prior to Pogba and Neymar.

That move ended a four-year stay in top spot for Cristiano Ronaldo, whose own move to Madrid from Man Utd cost €94m in 2009. Such has been the rapid increase in market values, that move no longer even sits in the top 10.

Other holders of the world record transfer since the turn of the century have included Kaka (2009), Zinedine Zidane (2001), Luis Figo (2000) and Hernan Crespo (2000).

The transfer record changed hands five times between 1996 and 1999, being held by Ronaldo and Alan Shearer before the Brazilian striker won it back by joining Inter in 1997. He is the only player since the late Diego Maradona to hold the record twice.

After Ronaldo, Denilson and Christian Vieri then took the honour.

Here is a detailed run through of the biggest transfers in football history.

The 50 most expensive transfers ever

Who is the most expensive goalkeeper of all time?

Kepa Arrizabalaga is the most expensive goalkeeper in football history after Chelsea splashed out €80m to sign the Spain keeper from Athletic Bilbao in 2018.

Kepa broke the record previously held by Alisson, a signing that proved much more successful for Liverpool.

The Reds spent €62.5m to sign him from Roma a month before Kepa joined Chelsea and the Brazil international, along with defender Virgil van Dijk, helped to address major weaknesses that were holding Liverpool back.

Alisson helped Liverpool win the Champions League and Premier League in successive seasons.

Who is the most expensive defender of all time?

The record transfer for a defender is held by Josko Gvardiol following his €90m move to Man City from Leipzig in 2023.

He took the record from Harry Maguire, who joined Manchester United from Leicester City for €87m in 2019.

Maguire had taken the record from Virgil van Dijk, an €84.5m signing for Liverpool from Southampton, a year earlier.

Who is the most expensive midfielder of all time?

Philippe Coutinho goes down as the biggest transfer involving a midfielder (even if he can also play further forward) – a move that did not work out for Barcelona.

Coutinho became the most expensive January transfer signing ever in 2018, when he pushed to leave Liverpool for Barca.

The Catalans had not found a suitable replacement for Neymar and felt that by spending big on his compatriot, they would find an answer to their problems. He subsequently left for Aston Villa.

Who is the most expensive forward of all time?

Neymar and Kylian Mbappe fill the first two spots in this ranking, as well as the overall list.

Brazil star Neymar is also the most expensive South American signing ever, with Mbappe holding the record for Europe.

Who is the most expensive teenager of all time?

Kylian Mbappe became the most expensive teenage transfer ever when he joined PSG from AS Monaco.

That move smashed the record previously held by Anthony Martial when he joined Man Utd from Monaco in 2015.

There have been some huge transfers for teenagers since Mbappe, though none which have threatened the record.

Joao Felix (€127.2m) joined Atletico Madrid in 2019, while Juventus splashed out €85.5m for Matthijs de Ligt during the same year.

The second of PSG’s mega-money signings of 2017 that completely changed the landscape of the transfer market, Mbappe actually arrived at the club on a loan deal that had a clause that would be made permanent if Les Parisiens avoided relegation. This was inevitable and purely installed to circumvent Financial Fair Play.

Who is the most expensive English player of all time?

Jack Grealish is the most expensive Englishman in history, courtesy of his €117.5m transfer from Aston Villa to Manchester City.

Who is the most expensive North American player of all time?

Christian Pulisic holds the record for the biggest transfer involving a North American player.

He joined Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund for €64m in 2019 and never made the grade before transferring to AC Milan in 2023.

Who is the most expensive African player of all time?

Nicolas Pepe is the biggest transfer involving an African player.

It cost Arsenal an astonishing €80m to sign the Ivory Coast forward from Lille in 2019, but Pepe proved to be a flop at the Emirates Stadium and left in 2023.

Lille are also responsible for the second biggest move involving an African player. They sold Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen to Napoli for €78.9m in 2020.

What is the most expensive Premier League transfer of all time?

Alexander Isak is the most expensive Premier League transfer of all time, having joined Liverpool from Newcastle in summer 2025 for €145m.

Who has the highest combined transfer fees of all time?

Neymar is the overall most expensive player in football history following his transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Al-Hilal in 2023, with the total outlay spent on him throughout his career at €400 million.

Not only did Neymar break the world record fee when he joined PSG for €222m in 2017, but he also moved to Barcelona for a huge €88m when he left Santos in 2013. Furthermore, his move to Al-Hilal cost €90m, which means Neymar has never been purchased for cheap.

That means when added together, Neymar has cost around €400m.

Romelu Lukaku had previously overtaken Neymar in 2021 as the player with the highest combined transfer fees of all time. He still has a huge total though as his transfers involving Anderlecht, Chelsea (twice), Everton, Man Utd, Inter and Napoli total an incredible €358m. His last four permanent moves alone come to €310m.

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