The 10 most expensive Primeira Liga transfers of all time

19 Jun 2026 20:28 BST |
5 min read

Cameron Smith
|
Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

The Portuguese top flight has been a talent hub for decades, with some of Europe’s best players passing through the division.

While big-money sales are more common than big-money arrivals, clubs in the Primeira Liga have still spent large sums on new signings over the past few years.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the 10 most expensive Primeira Liga transfers of all time.

10. Franjo Ivanovic – €22.8m (Union St. Gilloise to Benfica, 2025)

Croatian forward Franjo Ivanovic was purchased by Benfica from Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise for €22.8 million in the summer of 2025 after he scored an impressive 21 goals in 47 appearances the previous season.

However, despite the large fee that was paid, Ivanovic was unable to have the same impact in Portugal. Mostly used as a substitute, the striker netted just six goals in his first season.

9. Luis Suarez – €23m (Almeria to Sporting CP, 2025)

Sporting CP were in desperate need of a new striker after selling Swedish goal machine Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal off the back of two outrageous seasons in which he had scored 97 goals in 102 appearances.

The Lisbon club employed the tried and tested method of purchasing a striker from a smaller league by signing Colombian forward Luis Suarez from Spanish second-tier side Almeria for €23m.

He had scored 31 goals the previous season and, while he didn’t match the incredible numbers of Gyokeres, he also netted prolifically in Portugal, bagging 38 goals in 2025/26.

8. Viktor Gyokeres – €24m (Coventry to Sporting, 2023)

Speaking of Gyokeres, he became Sporting CP’s second-most expensive signing at the time of his move following his arrival from Coventry City in 2023.

The Sweden forward had bagged 43 goals in 116 games for the Championship side, and he backed that up with another 43 goals during his debut season at Sporting, and then 54 in his second and final campaign before being sold to Arsenal for €66.9m.

7. Manuel Ugarte – €24.5m (Famalicao to Sporting, 2021)

Manuel Ugarte spent just six months at Famalicao, but the Portuguese side turned a huge profit after he joined Sporting CP for €24.5m in August 2021.

The Uruguayan impressed in Lisbon and after rumours of a Premier League switch in 2022, he eventually joined PSG for €60m in 2023. Ugarte then joined Manchester United in 2024. However, like his time at PSG, his spell at Old Trafford was disappointing.

6. Richard Rios – €27m (Palmeiras to Benfica, 2025)

Colombia international Richard Rios established himself as one of the most impressive midfielders playing in South America during his time at Brazilian giants Palmeiras, which repeatedly earned him links to top European sides, including Man Utd.

However, instead of moving to England, Rios opted to head to Portugal after his departure from Palmeiras, joining Benfica for €27m.

5. Orkun Kokcu – €29.7m (Feyenoord to Benfica, 2023)

Orkun Kokcu captained Feyenoord to Eredivisie glory and Champions League qualification in 2022/23, but he surprisingly left the club to join Benfica that summer, despite interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Kokcu departed Feyenoord with 175 first-team appearances to his name, having progressed through the club’s academy system. His spell at Benfica did not last long, however. After falling out with his manager, he was loaned to Besiktas and then sold permanently for €30m.

4. Rodrigo Salazar – €30m (Braga to Sporting CP, 2026)

Sporting CP shattered their club record in the summer of 2026 when they signed Uruguay international Rodrigo Salazar from league rivals Braga for €30m.

A dynamic midfielder with a howitzer of a shot, the Spanish-born Salazar handed Braga a handsome profit after joining the club from Schalke 04 in 2023 for just €8.4m.

3. Samu Aghehowa – €32m (Atletico Madrid to Porto, 2024)

Samu Aghehowa looked poised to join Chelsea from Atletico Madrid in an informal swap deal for Conor Gallagher in the summer of 2024, but the deal collapsed at the last minute, giving the Spain international many sleepless and emotional nights.

However, despite being left out in the cold at Atleti, that summer window had a happy ending when Porto acquired him in a smart deal for a fraction of the sum Chelsea had almost paid for him.

The deal was structured in a way to allow Porto to incrementally increase their ownership rights of the player by paying small additional fees year over year. He scored prolifically for the Dragons but missed their 2026 championship with an ACL tear.

2. Darwin Nunez – €34m (Almeria to Benfica, 2020)

After scoring 16 goals in the second tier of Spanish football for Almeria, Darwin Nunez was picked up by Benfica for a whopping €34m.

The Uruguayan struggled during his first campaign, but he scored 34 goals in his second season and earned himself an €85m move to Liverpool – ensuring Benfica made a tidy profit.

The Reds’ recruitment department was reportedly opposed to this signing, but it was pushed through by then-manager Jurgen Klopp. An erratic finisher, Nunez was popular with the fans for his work rate but not good enough to lead the line for a club like Liverpool.

He was sold by Liverpool to Al-Hilal for €53m in 2025.

1. Enzo Fernandez – €44.3m (River Plate to Benfica, 2022)

Enzo Fernandez only cost Benfica an initial €10m, plus €8m in add-ons, but River Plate included a 25% sell-on clause in the deal – meaning they banked a huge profit when the Argentine joined Chelsea for a then-Premier League record transfer fee in 2023.

Fernandez made just 29 Benfica appearances, scoring twice and providing seven assists, before his move to Stamford Bridge. It took him a while to get going in England, but the 2022 World Cup winner eventually turned into a good signing for the Blues.

The 10 most expensive Primeira Liga signings of all time

Cameron Smith is a Digital Content Producer for FootballTransfers, having joined the team upon its inception in November 2020.

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