The 10 most expensive Premier League transfers of all time

11 Jun 2026 20:08 BST |
8 min read

Martin Macdonald
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Writer

Content writer covering football, formula 1 and movies

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The Premier League is the richest league in the world with some of the world’s most powerful teams.

Mammoth sponsorship and broadcast deals, and the biggest concentration of elite clubs means that money pours into the organisation and, in turn, the clubs themselves.

No top-flight spends money quite like the Premier League – and it means it is always making football transfer news headlines.

The last few summers have seen record amounts of cash thrown around on new signings and 2026 was no different, with the British transfer record being broken twice in one window.

Liverpool spent nearly €500m to restructure their squad with players such as Hugo Ekitike, while Chelsea added the likes of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro in an outlay of more than €200m.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the 10 most expensive Premier League players ever.

What are the biggest transfer fees in Premier League history?

10. Antony – €95m (from Ajax to Man Utd, 2022)

Man Utd landed Antony on Transfer Deadline Day in the summer of 2022, in the biggest deal ever concluded on the final day of the summer transfer window.

He was a priority for Ten Hag throughout the summer but United’s reticence to match Ajax’s asking price meant that a deal was slow to conclude.

Ultimately, the Red Devils ended up shelling out €95m in a deal that was widely seen as being too pricey for what they received. In his first season at Old Trafford, Antony failed to live up to his transfer fee and was heavily criticised for his performances in a Man Utd shirt and he eventually moved to Real Betis in 2025 at a substantial loss.

9. Kai Havertz – €100m (from Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea, 2020

Chelsea splashed the cash to sign a gem of German football when they bought wonderkid Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen for €100m in 2020.

The attacking midfielder was considered one of the young stars in Europe but he had an inconsisent time in West London. However, he wrote his name in Chelsea folklore by scoring the winner in the 2021 Champions League final.

Havertz was eventually sold to Arsenal where he has also struggled with injury and form.

8. Paul Pogba – €105m (from Juventus to Man Utd, 2016)

Paul Pogba made his widely publicised return to the Red Devils in the summer of 2016 for a world-record transfer fee at the time.

The Frenchman had left Man Utd to join Juventus on a free transfer just three years earlier, a decision that was soon seen as a huge mistake given how much the Old Trafford club were willing to pay to bring him back.

Pogba had some tremendous performances for Man Utd – his brace away against Man City in 2018 and his four assists versus Leeds in 2021 spring to mind – but he was far too inconsistent given his price tag.

Furthermore, he typically played better for France than at club level and he returned to Juventus on another free transfer in 2022.

7. Romelu Lukaku – €113m (from Inter to Chelsea, 2021)

After spells at Everton, Man Utd and Inter following his Chelsea exit in 2013, Romelu Lukaku made a sensational return to Stamford Bridge in 2021.

The Belgian netted a brace against Arsenal in his first game back at Chelsea, but things quickly turned sour when he revealed his love for Inter in an interview with Sky Italia.

Thomas Tuchel soon favoured Kai Havertz, and Lukaku was then shipped off on loan to Inter for the 2022-23 season.

After a transfer saga that looked as though it would never end, Lukaku joined Jose Mourinho’s Roma on yet another loan move for the 2023-24 campaign.

He was finally sold permanently to Napoli in the summer of 2024 for €30m.

6. Moises Caicedo – €116m (from Brighton to Chelsea, 2023)

Liverpool or Chelsea? That was the question for Moises Caicedo during the 2023 summer transfer window.

Both clubs were desperate to sign the Ecuador international to complete their midfield rebuild, and it was Chelsea who managed to finalise a deal, despite the fact Brighton had previously accepted an offer from Liverpool.

Caicedo was courted after a fantastic season under Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton and has continued to establish himself as one of the standout midfielders in world football since his move.

5. Declan Rice – €116.6m (from West Ham to Arsenal, 2023)

Arsenal obliterated their transfer record with the €116.6m signing of Declan Rice in July 2023.

The England international was also wanted by Man City, but he chose to join Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal instead after their second-place finish in the 2022-23 Premier League.

Rice left West Ham on a high, having captained them to Europa Conference League glory in his final match for the club.

He enjoyed an excellent first season for Arsenal as they finished second and eventually went on to win the Premier League title with the Gunners in 2026, when he was nominated for the Premier League Player of the Year award.

4. Jack Grealish – €117.5m (from Aston Villa to Man City, 2021)

Jack Grealish emerged as one of the most exciting players in the Premier League with Aston Villa, and in 2020-21 he recorded the third-highest tally of assists in the top-flight despite missing three months of action.

Even before the 2020 European Championship started, he was the subject of interest from both Manchester City and Manchester United, who were looking into the possibility of a €100m transfer.

His stock rose during the Euros, too, as he came off the bench to play a role in both goals as England defeated Germany in the first knockout stage game.

Eventually, Man City stepped up their efforts and signed him for a then-British record fee. Grealish played a key role in their historic treble win in his second season at the club. However, he struggled in his third season and eventually joined Everton on loan in 2025.

3. Enzo Fernandez – €121m (from Benfica to Chelsea, 2023)

Enzo Fernandez overtook Grealish as the most expensive British transfer arrival of all time when he swapped Benfica for Chelsea in January 2023.

The Argentina World Cup winner had only joined Benfica in a €12m deal from River Plate the previous summer, but having been elected best young player of the tournament in Qatar, interest in the 22-year-old was high.

With Chelsea having already splashed the cash since American billionaire Todd Boehly replaced Roman Abramovich as owner, Benfica were confident they could extract maximum value from their asset, and they did.

The Portuguese side dug their heels in, insisting Chelsea meet the player’s release clause, and after negotiating throughout the winter transfer window, the Blues finally acquiesced.

Enzo has endured a mixed time at Chelsea, although he has put in some strong performances that have seen the Blues linked with being able to sell him for an even bigger fee.

2. Florian Wirtz – €125m (from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool, 2025)

Liverpool set the British transfer record when they bought Florian Wirtz to Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen, paying €125m to sign one of the most coveted young players in Europe at the time.

The Reds had been determined to make a marquee signing after winning the Premier League in Arne Slot’s first season in charge, with the arrival of Wirtz being seen as a major coup following his impressive time in the Bundesliga.

However, Wirtz struggled in his debut season, failing to make his first goal or assist until his 11th appearance and not living up to his price tag as yet.

1. Alexander Isak – €145m (from Newcastle to Liverpool, 2025)

Just weeks after the arrival of Wirtz, Liverpool again broke the British transfer record on deadline day in summer 2025 by finally agreeing to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle after months of speculation.

Isak had been a star and fan favourite for Newcastle only to go on strike in order to force through the move to Liverpool.

But the Swedish international’s persistence was not rewarded in his debut campaign as he struggled to find fitness, finishing the season with just three Premier League goals in 14 games after a horrendous leg break.

Martin Macdonald. a Content Writer for FootballTransfers and FootballTransfers USA, as well as the Business Operations Manager for RealTimes Network, has worked in football reporting for over 15 years, starting at GOAL and Perform Media before moving to RealTimes. He was formerly the Chief Editor of MovieMeter.com and has also written for FightFans, GPFans and MSN.

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