The following is a list of most expensive football association transfers, which details the highest transfer fees ever paid for players.
As well as the most expensive transfers of all time, the page also lists transfers which broke the world transfer record. The first recorded record transfer was of Willie Groves from West Bromwich Albion to Aston Villa for £100 in 1893. This occurred just eight years after the introduction of professionalism by The Football Association in 1885.[1] The current transfer record was set by the transfer of Neymar from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for €222 million (£198 million) on 3 August 2017.
Top 50 transfers
R Player From To Position Fee
(M £) Fee
(M €) Year Year of birth Ref.
1 Brazil Neymar Spain Barcelona France Paris Saint-Germain Forward £198 €222 2017 1992 [2][6][7][4][5]
2 Brazil Philippe Coutinho England Liverpool Spain Barcelona Midfielder £105 €120[a] 2018 1992 [8]
3 France Ousmane Dembélé Germany Borussia Dortmund Spain Barcelona Forward £97 €105[b] 2017 1997 [9][10][11]
France Paul Pogba Italy Juventus England Manchester United Midfielder £89 €105[c] 2016 1993 [12][13][14][15]
5 Wales Gareth Bale England Tottenham Hotspur Spain Real Madrid Forward £86 €100 2013 1989 [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]
6 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo England Manchester United Spain Real Madrid Forward £80 €94 2009 1985 [24][25][26]
7 Argentina Gonzalo Higuaín Italy Napoli Italy Juventus Striker £75.3 €90 2016 1987 [27][28][29]
8 Belgium Romelu Lukaku England Everton England Manchester United Striker £75[d] €85 2017 1993 [30][31][32][33]
9 Netherlands Virgil van Dijk England Southampton England Liverpool Defender £75 €84.5 2018 1991 [34]
10 Uruguay Luis Suárez England Liverpool Spain Barcelona Striker £75 €82.3 2014 1987 [35][36]
11 France Zinedine Zidane Italy Juventus Spain Real Madrid Midfielder £46.6 €77.5[e] 2001 1972 [38][39][40]
12 Colombia James Rodríguez France Monaco Spain Real Madrid Midfielder £63 €76 2014 1991 [41][42][43][44]
13 Argentina Ángel Di María Spain Real Madrid England Manchester United Midfielder £59.7 €75.6 2014 1988 [45][46]
14 Belgium Kevin De Bruyne Germany VfL Wolfsburg England Manchester City Midfielder £55 €75 2015 1991 [47][48]
15 Sweden Zlatan Ibrahimović Italy Internazionale Spain Barcelona Striker £56 €69.5[f] 2009 1981 [49][50][51][52]
16 Brazil Kaká Italy Milan Spain Real Madrid Midfielder £56 €67[g] 2009 1982 [53][54][55][56][57]
17 Spain Álvaro Morata Spain Real Madrid England Chelsea Striker £58[h] €65.5 2017 1992 [58][59]
18 France Aymeric Laporte Spain Athletic Bilbao England Manchester City Defender £57 €65.2 2018 1994 [60]
19 Uruguay Edinson Cavani Italy Napoli France Paris Saint-Germain Striker £55 €64.5 2013 1987 [61][62][63][64]
20 Argentina Ángel Di María England Manchester United France Paris Saint-Germain Midfielder £45 €64 2015 1988 [65][66][67]
21 Gabon Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Germany Borussia Dortmund England Arsenal Striker £56.1 €63.7 2018 1989 [68]
22 England Raheem Sterling England Liverpool England Manchester City Forward £44[i] €62.5 2015 1994 [69][70]
23 Portugal Luís Figo Spain Barcelona Spain Real Madrid Midfielder £37 €62 2000 1972 [71][72]
24 Brazil Oscar England Chelsea China Shanghai SIPG Midfielder £52 €61[j] 2017 1991 [73][74][75]
25 Colombia Radamel Falcao Spain Atlético Madrid France Monaco Striker £51 €60[k] 2013 1986 [76][77]
26 Spain Fernando Torres England Liverpool England Chelsea Striker £50 €59 2011 1984 [78][79]
27 Argentina Hernán Crespo Italy Parma Italy Lazio Striker £35[l] €58.5 2000 1975 [80][81]
28 France Benjamin Mendy France Monaco England Manchester City Defender £52 €58.1 2017 1994 [82]
29 Brazil Neymar Brazil Santos Spain Barcelona Forward £48.6 €57.1[m] 2013 1992 [83][84][85][86]
30 England Kyle Walker England Tottenham Hotspur England Manchester City Defender £50[n] €57 2017
1990 [87][88]
31 Spain Diego Costa England Chelsea Spain Atlético Madrid Striker £48.8[o] €56.9 2018 1988 [89]
32 Guinea Naby Keïta Germany RB Leipzig England Liverpool Midfielder £48 €56.6 2018 1995 [90]
33 Brazil David Luiz England Chelsea France Paris Saint-Germain Defender £40 €56[p] 2014 1987 [91][92][93]
34 Brazil Hulk Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg China Shanghai SIPG Forward £46.4 €55.8 2016 1986 [94][95]
35 England John Stones England Everton England Manchester City Defender £47.5 €55.6 2016 1994 [96][97][98][99]
36 France Alexandre Lacazette France Lyon England Arsenal Forward £46.5 €53[q] 2017 1991 [100][101]
37 Italy Gianluigi Buffon Italy Parma Italy Juventus Goalkeeper £33 €52[r] 2001 1978 [102]
38 France Anthony Martial France Monaco England Manchester United Forward £36[s] €51 2015 1995 [103][104][105]
39 Iceland Gylfi Sigurðsson England Swansea City England Everton Midfielder £45 €50 2017 1989 [106]
40 Portugal Bernardo Silva France Monaco England Manchester City Midfielder £43 €49.5 2017 1994 [107][108]
Brazil Alex Teixeira Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk China Jiangsu Suning Midfielder £42.5 €49.5 2016 1988 [109][110]
Germany Mesut Özil Spain Real Madrid England Arsenal Midfielder £42.5 €49.5 2013 1988 [111][112][113]
43 Italy Christian Vieri Italy Lazio Italy Internazionale Striker £32 €49[t] 1999 1973 [114][115]
44 Spain Gaizka Mendieta Spain Valencia Italy Lazio Midfielder £31 €48 2001 1972 [116][117]
45 England Rio Ferdinand England Leeds United England Manchester United Defender £30 €47 2002 1978 [118][119]
46 Belgium Christian Benteke England Aston Villa England Liverpool Striker £32.5 €46.3 2015 1990 [120][121]
47 Spain Juan Mata England Chelsea England Manchester United Midfielder £37.1 €46 2014 1988 [122][123]
Brazil Ronaldo Italy Internazionale Spain Real Madrid Striker £29 €46 2002 1976 [124][125]
49 France Tiémoué Bakayoko France Monaco England Chelsea Midfielder £40 €45 2017 1993 [126]
Brazil Vinícius Júnior Brazil Flamengo Spain Real Madrid Forward £39.6 €45 2018 2000 [127]
Colombia James Rodríguez Portugal Porto France Monaco Midfielder £38.3 €45 2013 1991 [128][129]
Brazil Lucas Brazil São Paulo France Paris Saint-Germain Forward £38.3 €45 2013 1992 [130][131]
Argentina Sergio Agüero Spain Atlético Madrid England Manchester City Striker £38 €45 2011 1988 [132][133][134][135]
Argentina Juan Sebastián Verón Italy Lazio England Manchester United Midfielder £28.1 €45 2001 1975 [136][137]