9 Most Expensive Transfers in Premier League off All Time

Sally Polly June 27, 2021 | 19:13

Check out our list of top 9 most expensive transfers in history ever, and detailed information about them.

9 Most Expensive Transfers in Premier League off All Time

The summer transfer window is open once again and the Premier League could well have a new record transfer soon as Manchester City look to sign Jack Grealish.

Manchester United have a long history of being the leading spenders in England and star man Paul Pogba remains the Prem’s priciest ever player.

But it looks like near-neighbours Man City are set to smash that record with a £100million move for England star Grealish close to completion.

Last summer saw City’s Ruben Dias and Chelsea ace Kai Havertz enter the top ten most expensive arrivals in England.

The transfer market is in full swing yet again and Grealish’s move to the Etihad is now ‘as good as done’.

Should he move, he will become the most expensive player in Premier League history, overtaking the mega-money deals done by the likes of United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.

But who makes up the current top ten? Here, we have a look at who has cost the most in English top-flight history.

List of top 9 most expensive Premier League transfers in history

9. Rodri (Atletico Madrid at Manchester City in 2019) – £ 64million

8. Alisson Becker (Rome to Liverpool 2018) – £ 67million

7. Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen at Chelsea in 2020) – £ 71million

6. Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao at Chelsea in 2018) – £ 71million

5. Nicolas Pepe (Lille at Arsenal in 2019) – £ 72million

4. Virgil van Dijk (Southampton to Liverpool in 2018) – £ 75million

3. Romelu Lukaku (Everton at Manchester United in 2017) – £ 75million

2. Harry Maguire (Leicester to Manchester United in 2019) – £ 78million

1. Paul Pogba (Juventus at Manchester United in 2016) – £ 89million

Detailed information on top 9 most expensive Premier League transfers in history

9. Rodri (Atletico Madrid at Manchester City in 2019)

Photo: WTFoot

Rodrigo Hernández Cascante (born 22 June 1996), known as Rodri or Rodrigo, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the Spain national team.

Rodri is a former Spain youth international, and made his debut for the senior national team in 2018, representing the side at UEFA Euro 2020.

Born in Madrid, Rodri joined Atlético Madrid's youth setup in 2007 aged 11, from CF Rayo Majadahonda. Released in 2013 due to a "lack of physical strength", he subsequently signed with Villarreal CF.

On 7 February 2015, while still a junior, Rodri made his senior debut for the reserves, coming on as a late substitute in a 3–1 away win against RCD Espanyol B in the Segunda División B. He was handed his first start 15 days later, in a 2–0 victory at Real Zaragoza B.

Rodri made his first-team debut on 17 December 2015, starting in a 2–0 home win against SD Huesca for that season's Copa del Rey. His first La Liga appearance was on 17 April 2016, when he came on as a second-half substitute for Denis Suárez in a 2–1 away loss to Rayo Vallecano.

On 4 December 2017, having already established himself as a regular, Rodri renewed his contract until 2022. He scored his first goal in the Spanish top level on 18 February 2018, the opener in a 1–1 away draw against RCD Espanyol

On 1 March 2020, City won the EFL Cup at Wembley Stadium for the third time in a row, beating Aston Villa 2–1 in the final. Rodri headed in City's second goal from a corner, which ultimately turned out to be the winner.

On 13 February 2021, Rodri scored City's first goal in the game from a penalty, in a 3–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

8. Alisson Becker (Rome to Liverpool 2018)

Photo: Getty Images

Alisson Ramses Becker (born 2 October 1992), commonly known as Alisson, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Liverpool and the Brazil national team. In 2019, he was named The Best FIFA Goalkeeper and was also the recipient of the inaugural Yashin Trophy.

Alisson began his career at Internacional, where he made over 100 appearances and won the Campeonato Gaúcho in each of his four seasons at the club. In 2016, he completed a €7.5 million transfer to Roma where he initially served as understudy to Wojciech Szczęsny before breaking into the starting line-up. In July 2018, Alisson signed for Liverpool for an initial fee of €62.5 million (£56 million), which could rise to €72 million (£66.8 million); a world record fee for a goalkeeper at the time. In his first season at the club he received the Premier League Golden Glove for most clean sheets in the league (21), and kept another clean sheet in the UEFA Champions League Final to help Liverpool win their sixth European Cup. The following season he kept a clean sheet in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup as the team won in extra time to clinch the trophy. He also played an integral part in Liverpool's 2019–20 Premier League title-winning effort, which ended the club's 30-year league title drought. On 16 May 2021, he also became the first goalkeeper to score a goal for Liverpool, as well as the first goalkeeper to score a matchwinner in a Premier League fixture, following a 95th minute-winning header against West Bromwich Albion.

Alisson represented Brazil at various youth levels before making his senior international debut in 2015 whereafter he represented the nation at the Copa América Centenario in 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the 2019 and 2021 Copa América, winning the 2019 tournament while also being named its best goalkeeper.

7. Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen at Chelsea in 2020)

Photo: Getty Images

Kai Lukas Havertz (born 11 June 1999) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the Germany national team.

Upon making his debut for Bayer Leverkusen in 2016, Havertz became the club's youngest-ever debutant in the Bundesliga, and he became their youngest-ever goalscorer when he scored his first goal the following year. He is also the youngest player to reach the milestones of 50 and 100 league appearances in the German top flight. With Chelsea, he won the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League, scoring the only goal in the final against Manchester City.

On 4 September 2020, Havertz signed a five-year contract with Premier League club Chelsea. The transfer fee was reported to be worth an initial £62 million, which could rise to £71 million with add-ons, making him Chelsea's second-most expensive signing after Kepa Arrizabalaga. On 14 September, he made his debut with Chelsea in the league opener against Brighton & Hove Albion, which ended in a 3–1 away win. On 23 September, Havertz scored his first career hat-trick and his first Chelsea goals in a 6–0 home win over Barnsley in the third round of the EFL Cup. Havertz scored his first-ever Premier League goal against Southampton on 17 October, in a 3–3 draw at home. On 4 November 2020, it was revealed that Havertz had tested positive for COVID-19.

On 29 May 2021, he scored the only goal of the game in the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final. It was his first-ever goal in the UEFA Champions League as Chelsea defeated fellow English club Manchester City to win the competition for the second time in club history.

6. Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao at Chelsea in 2018)

Photo: Getty Images

Kepa Arrizabalaga Revuelta (born 3 October 1994) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Chelsea and the Spain national team. He is sometimes referred to simply as Kepa.

A Basque native, Arrizabalaga began his senior club career with Athletic Bilbao. He played for Basconia, and joined Ponferradina and Real Valladolid consecutive loans, between 2011 and 2016. He then returned to Bilbao and became a first-team regular; in 2018, he was the subject of a record association football transfer when he moved to Chelsea in a transfer worth €80 million (£72 million), a record fee for a goalkeeper. There, he won the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Champions League.

Arrizabalaga won the 2012 European Championship with Spain's under-19 team. He made his senior debut in 2017, and was selected for the 2018 World Cup.

5. Nicolas Pepe (Lille at Arsenal in 2019)

Photo: Getty Images

Nicolas Pépé (born 29 May 1995) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Arsenal and the Ivory Coast national team.

Pépé began his senior club career with Poitiers in the Championnat de France Amateur 2. He signed for Angers in 2013, aged 18, and spent a season on loan at Orléans in 2015. He signed for Lille in 2017, and was named to the UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year in the 2018–19 season. That summer, Pépé joined Arsenal for a club-record fee of £72 million, and won the FA Cup in his debut season.

Pépé, who was born in France to parents of Ivorian descent, made his debut for the Ivory Coast on 15 November 2016 in a friendly against France. He was selected for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017 and 2019.

Pépé was born in France to parents of Ivorian descent. He received a call up to the Ivory Coast national football team in November 2016, and was an unused substitute in the goalless draw away to Morocco in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification on 12 November. He made his debut three days later in a friendly of the same score against his birth nation, France, at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens, playing the final four minutes in place of Max-Alain Gradel.

Pépé was named in Michel Dussuyer's 23-man squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, but took no part as the Elephants were eliminated from their group.

On 24 March 2018, in a friendly against Togo in France, Pépé scored his first international goals in the first half of a 2–2 draw. He followed it three days later, with another goal in a 2–1 win against Moldova in the same stadium.

Pépé was called up for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. He was absent from their quarter-final penalty shootout defeat by Algeria, having been dropped for Max Alain Gradel due to a lack of form.

4. Virgil van Dijk (Southampton to Liverpool in 2018)

Photo: Getty Images

Virgil van Dijk (born 8 July 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Liverpool and captains the Netherlands national team. Considered one of the best defenders in the world, Van Dijk is known for his strength, leadership and aerial ability. He is the only defender to win UEFA Men's Player of the Year, and has finished runner-up for the Ballon d'Or and Best FIFA Men's Player.

After beginning his professional career with Groningen, Van Dijk moved to Celtic in 2013, where he won the Scottish Premiership and was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year in both of his seasons with the club, also winning the Scottish League Cup in the latter. In 2015, he joined Southampton before signing for Liverpool in January 2018 for £75 million, a world-record transfer fee at the time for a defender. With Liverpool, Van Dijk reached back-to-back UEFA Champions League finals in 2018 and 2019, winning the latter. He was also named PFA Players' Player of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season in his first full season. Van Dijk later won the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup, and helped end the club's 30-year league title drought by winning the 2019–20 Premier League.

Van Dijk made his international debut for the Netherlands in 2015 and became captain of his country in 2018. In 2018, he scored his first international goal in a 3–0 win against Portugal. A year later, Van Dijk captained the Netherlands to the final of the inaugural UEFA Nations League, where they finished runners-up.

3. Romelu Lukaku (Everton at Manchester United in 2017)

Photo: Getty Images

Romelu Menama Lukaku Bolingoli (born 13 May 1993) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Belgium national team.

Born in Antwerp, Lukaku began his professional career at Belgian Pro League club Anderlecht in 2009, where he made his senior debut, at age 16. He won the league's top goalscorer, the league championship and the Belgian Ebony Shoe there. He signed for English side Chelsea in 2011, but featured sparingly in his first season and joined West Bromwich Albion on loan in 2012. He helped them to an unexpected eighth-place finish in the 2012–13 season and ahead of the 2013–14 season, he joined Everton on loan. After helping Everton reach a club-record points tally, Lukaku joined the team in a permanent deal worth a club-record fee of £28 million in 2014. After being named in the 2016–17 PFA Team of the Year, Lukaku signed for Manchester United in 2017, for an initial fee of £75 million. After two seasons in Manchester Lukaku's relationship with the club deteriorated. He failed to return for pre-season training, was fined, and subsequently signed for Inter Milan in August 2019, for a reported club record €80 million; he won the Serie A title in his second season with the club and was named the league's Most Valuable Player.

A Belgian international, Lukaku has played 96 games for his country, and scored 63 goals, making him Belgium's all-time top goalscorer. Lukaku made his senior international debut for Belgium in 2010, at age 17, and has since represented his country at four major tournaments, including two FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships. At the 2018 World Cup, Lukaku led Belgium to a third-place finish by finishing as the joint second-highest goalscorer, and won the Bronze Boot.

2. Harry Maguire (Leicester to Manchester United in 2019)

Photo: Getty Images

Jacob Harry Maguire (born 5 March 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team.

Maguire came through the youth system at Sheffield United before graduating to the first team in 2011. He totalled 166 professional games for the club and was their Player of the Year three consecutive times, also featuring in the PFA Team of the Year for League One as many times. In 2014, he transferred to Hull City for £2.5 million, who loaned him to Wigan Athletic in 2015. He joined Leicester City in 2017 for an initial fee of £12 million. Two years later, he moved to Manchester United for a fee believed to be £80 million, a world-record amount for a defender.

Maguire played one match for England under-21 in 2012. In October 2017, he made his senior debut, and he was chosen for the 2018 FIFA World Cup squad.

1. Paul Pogba (Juventus at Manchester United in 2016)

Photo: Getty Images

Paul Labile Pogba (born 15 March 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Manchester United and the France national team. He operates primarily as a central midfielder, but can also be deployed as an attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder and deep-lying playmaker.

Born in Lagny-sur-Marne, Pogba joined the youth team of Ligue 1 side Le Havre in 2007, before a protracted transfer brought him to Manchester United two years later. After beginning his senior career with Manchester United two years later, limited appearances persuaded him to depart to join Italian side Juventus on a free transfer in 2012, where he helped the club to four consecutive Serie A titles, as well as two Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana titles. During his time in Italy, Pogba further established himself as one of the most promising young players in the world and received the Golden Boy award in 2013, followed by the Bravo Award in 2014. In 2016, Pogba was named to the 2015 UEFA Team of the Year, as well as the 2015 FIFA FIFPro World XI, after helping Juventus to the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final, their first in 12 years.

Pogba's performances at Juventus led to him returning to Manchester United in 2016 for a then-world record transfer fee of €105 million (£89.3 million). The fee paid for him remains the highest paid by an English club. In his first season back, he won the League Cup and the Europa League. In the 2018–19 season, he was named to the PFA Team of the Year.

Internationally, Pogba captained France to victory at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup and took home the award for the Best Player for his performances during the tournament. He made his debut for the senior team a year later and featured prominently at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where he was awarded the Best Young Player Award for his performances. He later represented his nation at UEFA Euro 2016 on home soil, where he finished as a runner-up, before winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup, scoring in the final.

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