The top 10 players with highest combined transfer fees of all time

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 29 Aug 2024 15:07 BST
• 7 min read

Neymar has the highest combined transfer fees in football history, following his €90 million move from Paris Saint-Germain to Al-Hilal in 2023.

The Brazilian’s switch to the Saudi Pro League saw him overtake Romelu Lukaku, who had previously held the record.

Neymar’s total is boosted significantly thanks to his world-record move to PSG in 2017. He joined the French giants for a whopping €222m after a four-year stay at Barcelona.

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

Lukaku is now the second-most expensive footballer of all-time, in regards to collective transfer fees paid, while Cristiano Ronaldo is third.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the 10 players with the highest combined transfer fees in football history.

READ MORE: What are the most expensive women’s football transfers of all time? The 50 highest fees in history

10. Angel Di Maria - €179m

A mercurial talent, Angel Di Maria is arguably one of the most underrated players of his generation.

He excelled at Real Madrid, although he was forced out after James Rodriguez was signed after a stellar 2014 World Cup. And although he disappointed at Man Utd following a €75m move, a British record at the time, he bounced back at PSG.

In total, he's moved clubs six times, with his transfers to Man Utd and PSG both costing over €60m.

Di Maria’s two most recent moves - to Juventus and back to Benfica - were free transfers.

9. Kylian Mbappe - €180m

Some fees vary surrounding Kylian Mbappe's move from Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain, but with various add-ons and clauses it's believed to be €180m.

The transfer made him the second most expensive signing of all time, and he is the only player to feature on this list who has only made one transfer.

That shows how much money PSG spent on the superstar, and the belief they had in his ability. A World Cup winner, Mbappe became PSG’s all-time record goalscorer during his time at the club, before leaving to join Real Madrid on a free transfer in 2024.

8. Philippe Coutinho - €180.3m

Philippe Coutinho was excellent in the Premier League, but he didn't hit the same heights in La Liga.

Having joined Inter as a teenager from Vasco de Gama, Coutinho impressed in Italy which attracted the interest of Liverpool. One smart signing later, and the Reds had found their new creative outlet.

Coutinho thrived at Anfield, and became a formidable force in the English top flight. His form caught the eye of Barcelona, who viewed him as the perfect replacement for the departed Andres Iniesta.

The move didn't work out, however, and after a loan spell away at Bayern Munich in 2019/20, he was never able to get into the Barcelona side.

He joined Aston Villa on loan in 2022 and then made the move permanent for €20m.

7. Antoine Griezmann - €182m

Another failed move for Barcelona. After signing Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele, the Blaugrana had one more roll of the dice, and decided to spend even more money on Antoine Griezmann.

The Frenchman had established himself at Atletico Madrid, but upon moving to Barca, he didn't quite fit in. He played in similar zones to Lionel Messi, and although he scored 20 goals and assisted 12 in 2020/21, the move wasn’t a success.

Griezmann was loaned back to Atletico for €10m in 2021/22 and the move was made permanent in 2023.

6. Alvaro Morata - €189m

A slightly surprising name to feature so highly, Alvaro Morata has transferred six times, which is why his fees add up to so much.

His move from Real Madrid to Juventus and back again came to over €50m, while he then cost Chelsea over €60m. Atletico Madrid paid an extortionate amount to bring him back to Spain, while Juventus paid €20m to sign him on a two-year loan deal in 2020.

An often misfiring striker who evidently has quality, Morata has racked up some serious fees during his career so far.

5. Matthijs de Ligt - €197.5m

Matthijs de Ligt joined this list after joining Manchester United for an initial €45m in 2024.

The Dutchman had previously joined Juventus for €85.5m and Bayern Munich for €67m. He is the most expensive defender in football history, in regards to cumulative transfer fees.

4. Ousmane Dembele - €220m

Ousmane Dembele features fourth on this list following his €50m move to PSG from Barcelona in 2023.

The Frenchman became one of the most expensive players ever when the Blaugrana splashed a whopping €135m on him in 2017 after a spectacular season at Borussia Dortmund.

That move came following his €35m transfer to BVB from Stade Rennais just one year prior. His time at Barcelona was punctuated by injuries and PSG pushed to sign him after Lionel Messi's departure to Inter Miami.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo - €247m

While Neymar has made three transfers to make up his combined fee, Cristiano Ronaldo has made four. However, his two separate moves to Manchester United certainly pale in comparison to the fees paid by Real Madrid and Juventus.

After winning the 2008 Ballon d'Or, and establishing himself as a world star, Ronaldo broke the transfer record at the time when Real Madrid paid €94m for his services.

He then set the Santiago Bernabeu alight, winning four Champions Leagues, before departing for Juventus in 2018, as the Old Lady hoped to replicate Los Blancos' success.

After a spell in Turin, he re-joined Man Utd for €17m in 2021, before signing for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr 18 months later.

2. Romelu Lukaku - €369.2m

Lukaku is the second-most expensive player in history in terms of combined transfer fees.

The striker has never been at a club for longer than three years, and hence he has already moved clubs on a permanent basis six times.

Having joined Chelsea in 2011, Lukaku went on loans to West Brom and Everton before being sold to the latter for €33m after the arrival of Diego Costa at Stamford Bridge. He then moved to Man Utd for an initial €74m.

Inter followed, and after excelling in Italy he returned to Chelsea for €113m, where he hit the ground running with a second debut goal versus Arsenal.

Things went sour for him quickly, however, and after flirting with an Inter return midway through the 2021-22 campaign, he then completed his return on loan. Lukaku joined Roma on loan for the 2023-24 season before moving to Napoli in 2024 for €30m to take the total spent on him across his career to just shy of €370m.

1. Neymar - €400m

As mentioned above, Neymar is the most expensive player ever, both in terms of an individual transfer fee and cumulative.

Not only did Neymar break the world record fee when he joined PSG, but he also moved to Barcelona for €88m from Santos. In addition, his move to Al-Hilal cost €90m, which means Neymar has never been purchased for cheap.

When added together, Neymar has cost €400m during his career.

The 10 players with the highest combined transfer fees in history