The 10 most expensive centre midfielders of all time

10 Jun 2026 19:44 BST |
4 min read

Cameron Smith
|
Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

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Florian Wirtz is the most expensive centre midfielder of all time, courtesy of his €125 million transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool in the summer of 2025.

The Germany international joined the Reds in a surprise deal after initially looking poised for a move to Bayern Munich. However, Liverpool successfully swooped in for the playmaker and signed him for what was at the time a British record fee.

Wirtz replaced Enzo Fernandez as the most expensive midfielder ever, with the Chelsea midfielder now in second. He joined the Blues from Benfica for €121m in January 2023 after a breakout 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Declan Rice is the third most expensive central midfielder in history. The England international joined Arsenal for a fee of €116.6m from West Ham in the 2023 summer transfer window.

He had helped the Hammers win the Europa Conference League during his final appearances for the club. At Arsenal, he established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world and won the Premier League in 2026.

In fourth place is Moises Caicedo, thanks to his €116m transfer to Chelsea. The Ecuadorian midfielder was involved in a transfer tug-of-war between the Blues and Liverpool, with the West London club winning.

Paul Pogba is the fifth most expensive centre midfielder of all time thanks to his 2016 transfer from Juventus back to Manchester United.

The Frenchman originally left Old Trafford to join the Italian giants on a free transfer in 2012, and re-signed for the Red Devils for €105m after four successful years in Turin.

Following six mixed years back at Man Utd, Pogba once again left the club to join Juventus on a Bosman transfer in 2022. Constantly injured, he had his contract in Turin torn up after being hit with an 18-month doping ban.

Jude Bellingham is sixth on this list due to his €103m transfer to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in 2023. The England star was previously chased by both Manchester City and Liverpool, but Los Blancos won the race to sign him.

Frenkie de Jong is the seventh most expensive centre midfielder in history; he cost Barcelona €86m when he joined from Ajax in 2019. The Blaugrana splashed the cash on the Dutchman after his pivotal role in Ajax’s run to the 2018/19 Champions League semi-finals.

Next up is Arthur Melo, who was involved in a swap deal with Miralem Pjanic in 2020. The Brazilian left Barcelona to join Juventus for €80.6m, while Pjanic moved the other way for €60m. Both players were a disaster.

The ninth most expensive centre midfielder of all time is Aurelien Tchouameni after his €80m transfer to Real Madrid in the 2022 summer window. The France international joined Los Blancos from AS Monaco after spending two-and-a-half years in the French principality.

Another Real Madrid signing – Zinedine Zidane – completes the top 10. The French legend was one of the first Galacticos to join Los Blancos in the early noughties, signing for €77.5m from Juventus in 2001.

The 10 most expensive centre midfielders of all time