From Paul Pogba and Jack Grealish to Romelu Lukaku and Enzo Fernández, Boardroom explores the highest transfer fees ever paid by English football clubs.
England’s Premier League boasts some of the biggest names and highest-paid players in world football, with top English clubs constantly vying for top talent. The transfer market has become an essential tool, with clubs dishing out vast amounts of money on players to improve their chances of success. To date, the Premier League is home to some of the most expensive transfers in soccer history overall, outdoing Spain’s La Liga and occupying 19 spots of the top 25 as of this writing.
Transfer fees in bringing these players to England’s top flight have surpassed $100 million on five occasions, and as time progresses, the number of high-profile, prohibitively expensive transfers will only increase as England’s best chase European trophies (and attempt to outrun UEFA’ Financial Fair Play rules).
However, not all transfers are created equal, and spending top dollar is never guaranteed success. High transfer fees and increasingly high player wages have put clubs under tremendous pressure to navigate a gradually inflated transfer market and infuse squads with top talent to win now, or even give themselves a fighting chance against teams like Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Manchester United, who continue to be the high-market makers and takers of the English game.
So, that got us thinking: Which players have landed the highest Premier League transfer fees of all time? While Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku is the only player in the top 25 to grace the list twice, the Belgian striker is far from securing the current top spot.
Let’s dive into Boardroom’s master list of the most expensive Premier League transfers ever.
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The 25 Most Expensive Premier League Transfers in History
Transfer fee data via Capology and Transfermarkt as of April 2023 and only includes incoming Premier League signings. Players are labeled by their current teams at time of writing.
1. Chelsea CM Enzo Fernández: $147.97 million
- Transfer: Benfica to Chelsea (2022-23)
- Current Contract: 9 years, $101,585,665
- Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive on Enzo’s move to Chelsea.
2. Manchester City LW Jack Grealish: $132.62 million
- Transfer: Aston Villa to Manchester City (2021-22)
- Current Contract: 6 years, $116,868,814
3. Inter Milan CF Romelu Lukaku: $123.86 million
- Transfer: Inter to Chelsea (2021-22)
- Current Contract: 1 year, $11,627,728
4. Juventus CM Paul Pogba: $115.09 million
- Transfer: Juventus to Manchester United (2016-17)
- Current Contract: 4 years, $43,779,995
5. Manchester United RW Antony: $104.13 million
- Transfer: Ajax to Man United (2022-23)
- Current Contract: 5 years, $64,927,119
- Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive on Antony’s move to Man Utd.
6. Manchester United CB Harry Maguire: $95.23 million
- Transfer: Leicester to Man United (2019-20)
- Current Contract: 3 years, $35,743,104
7. Manchester United LW Jadon Sancho: $93.17 million
- Transfer: Borussia Dortmund to Man United (2021-22)
- Current Contract: 4 years, $87,790,801
- Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive on Sancho’s move to Man Utd.
8. Juventus CF Romelu Lukaku: $92.84 million
- Transfer: Everton to Man United (2017-18)
- Current Contract: 1 year, $11,627,728
9. Liverpool CB Virgil Van Dijk: $92.78 million
- Transfer: Southampton to Liverpool (2017-18)
- Current Contract: 3 years, $41,386,752
- Click here for Boardroom’s VVD contract breakdown at Liverpool.
10. Chelsea CB Wesley Fofana: $88.12 million
- Transfer: Leicester City to Chelsea (2022-23)
- Current Contract: 7 years, $87,790,081
- Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive on Fofana’s move to Chelsea.
t-11. Liverpool CF Darwin Núñez: $87.69 million
- Transfer: Benfica to Liverpool (2022-23)
- Current Contract: 6 years, $52,674,048
- Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive on Darwin’s move to Liverpool.
t-11. Chelsea CM Kai Havertz: $87.69 million
- Transfer: Bayern Leverkusen to Chelsea (2020-21)
- Current Contract: 3 years, $28,218,240
t-11. Nice RW Nicolas Pépé: $87.69 million
- Transfer: Lille to Arsenal (2019-20)
- Current Contract: 1 year, $6,315,243
t-11. GK Chelsea Kepa Arrizabalaga: $87.69 million
- Transfer: Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea (2018-19)
- Current Contract: 3 years, $28,218,240
15. Manchester City CM Kevin De Bryune: $84.30 million
- Transfer: VFL Wolfsburg to Man City (2015-16)
- Current Contract: 3 years, $75,248,640
- Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive on KDB’s contract with Man City.
16. Juventus RW Ángel Di María: $82.21 million
- Transfer: Real Madrid to Man United (2014-15)
- Current Contract: 1 year, $8,203,415
- Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive on Di Marias’ move to Juventus.
17. Manchester City CB Rúben Dias: $78.48 million
- Transfer: Benfica to Man City (2020-21)
- Current Contract: 5 years, $56,436,480
18. Manchester United CDM Casemiro: $77.44 million
- Transfer: Real Madrid to Man United (2022-23)
- Current Contract: 4 years, $87,790,081
- Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive on Casemiro’s move to Man Utd.
t-19. Chelsea LW Mykhaylo Mudryk: $76.73 million
- Transfer: Shakhtar Donetsk to Chelsea (2022-23)
- Current Contract: 9 years, $56,436,480
- Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive on Mudryk’s move to Chelsea.
t-19. Newcastle CF Alexander Isak: $76.73 million
- Transfer: Real Sociedad to Newcastle (2022-23)
- Current Contract: 6 years, $45,149,184
t-19. Manchester City DM Rodri: $76.73 million
- Transfer: Atlético Madrid to Man City (2019-20)
- Current Contract: 5 years, $68,977,920
22. Manchester City RW Riyad Mahrez: $74.31 million
- Transfer: Leicester City to Man City (2018-19)
- Current Contract: 3 years, $30,099,456
23. Atlético Madrid CF Álvaro Morata: $72.34 million
- Transfer: Real Madrid to Chelsea (2017-18)
- Current Contract: 2 years, $20,908,574
24. Chelsea LB Marc Cucurella: $71.57 million
- Transfer: Brighton to Chelsea (2022-23)
- Current Contract: 6 years, $65,842,560
- Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive on Cucurella’s move to Chelsea.
25. RB Bayern Munich João Cancelo: $71.24 million
- Transfer: Juventus to Man City (2019-20)
- Current Contract: 1 year, $7,680,701
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