The 10 most expensive transfers of January window

Cameron Smith

• 18 Jan 2024 07:00 CST
• 3 min read

Vitor Roque is currently the most expensive signing of the 2024 January window so far, thanks to his move from Athletico Paranaense to Barcelona.

The Brazilian attacker is widely-regarded as one of the most promising youngsters in world football and Barcelona pounced by agreeing a €40 million deal in 2023. However, Roque had to wait until January 2024 to join the club.

Thanks to his €40m move, Roque is the priciest signing of the January transfer window thus far and is also now Barca’s joint-14th most expensive addition of all time.

Romanian defender Radu Dragusin is the second most expensive signing this month, courtesy of his €25m transfer from Genoa to Tottenham Hotspur. That fee could rise to €30m if add-ons are met, however.

Behind Roque and Dragusin is Eljif Elmas. He is third on this list after leaving Serie A side Napoli to join Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig for €24m.

The North Macedonia star was purchased as a replacement for Leipzig club legend Emil Forsberg, who has moved to the MLS. Elmas scored 19 goals in 189 appearances for Napoli after joining the Italian club from Fenerbahce in 2019.

In fourth place is Renan Lodi. He left Marseille to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal for €23m.

Lucas Beraldo is the fifth most expensive signing of the January transfer window so far. He left Brazilian side Sao Paulo to join Paris Saint-Germain for €20m. Beraldo, a talented centre-back, was previously linked with a move to Liverpool.

Fellow Brazilian youngster Marcos Leonardo is sixth on this list after his €18m transfer from Santos to Benfica. Arsenal were keen on landing him before he agreed to move to Portugal.

18-year-old Belgian talent Malick Fofana joined Lyon for €17m from Gent and that deal sees him included in seventh place on the list. Fofana scored five goals and provided 10 assists in 64 senior games for Gent before earning a move to Ligue 1.

Artur’s move from Palmeiras to Zenit (€15m) is the eighth most expensive transfer so far in January 2024, while Nicolas de la Cruz is ninth thanks to his €14.5m deal to join Flamengo from River Plate.

Mohamed-Ali Cho completes the top 10. He has returned to Ligue 1 with Nice after joining the club for €10m from Real Sociedad.

The biggest signings of the January 2024 window