Top 100 most expensive football transfers of all time

The 2023-24 summer transfer window has been one of the busiest ones in the modern era. Midfielders Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo moved to the nine digits in 2023, with the latter being the most expensive Premier League transfer of all time. Transfer fees of elite players have reached an exorbitant amount and the pressure to perform for these players is colossal. It feels like yesterday when Paul Pogba became the first £100m footballer in the history of the game. Here are the top 100 players with the highest transfer fees in world football.

Most Expensive British Football Player

Declan Rice became the most expensive British footballer of all time when Arsenal obliterated their transfer record with the mammoth €117m (plus add-ons) transfer fee. He moved from West Ham United to Arsenal breaking Jack Grealish’s previously-held record transfer fee of €117m Manchester City paid in 2021.

The Arsenal management sees Rice as a long-term investment for the club who will stay at the heart of the club’s midfield in years to come. Rice has consistently demonstrated exceptional performances at West Ham and the transition to Arsenal will be a big step up for the English midfielder.

Most Expensive Teenager in Football

PSG spent a whopping €180m for 18-year-old teenager Kylian Mbappe in the summer of 2018, making him not only the most expensive teenager of all time but also the second most expensive football transfers ever. The French giants did not waste any time in securing a permanent deal for the AS Monaco prodigy.

The 2022 Golden Boot winner introduced himself to the world when he helped Monaco win the Ligue 1 in the 2016/17 season.

Most Expensive Defender

Harry Maguire remains the most expensive defender to date following his controversial move from Leicester City in 2019. Manchester United spent a staggering €94m for the English defender, a world-record fee for any defender to date.

Josko Gvardiol is the second most expensive defender following his €90m move to Manchester City from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023.

Most Expensive Goalkeeper

Kepa Arrizabalaga became the most expensive goalkeeper when Chelsea forked out €80m for his services in the summer of 2018. The Athletic Bilbao prodigy spent only two seasons with the club registering 53 La Liga appearances in the process.

Since his move to Stamford Bridge, the Spaniard has made some high-profile errors and has fallen out of favour under different managers at Chelsea. In 2023, Kepa secured a season-long move to Real Madrid but the Galacticos are unlikely to trigger a permanent deal for the Spaniard.

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