The 10 most expensive Nigerian players of all time

1 Jul 2026 21:24 BST |
6 min read

Cameron Smith
|
Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

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Nigeria have some of the best players in African football and some of their biggest stars have achieved great things at club level.

Despite somewhat underwhelming at international level, having failed to win the Africa Cup of Nations since 2013, several Nigerian stars have moved teams for huge transfer fees at club level over the past decade.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the 10 most expensive Nigerian players of all time.

10. Nathan Tella – €23.3m (Southampton to Bayer Leverkusen, 2023)

Nathan Tella was expected to join Burnley on a permanent basis in 2023 after a sensational loan spell at Turf Moor saw him notch 17 goals in the Championship as Vincent Kompany’s side stormed to promotion.

However, he instead sealed a move to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen and although he played a bit-part role, Tella was involved in their historic unbeaten league and cup double during his first season in Germany.

9. Alex Iwobi – €25.7m (Everton to Fulham, 2023)

Alex Iwobi is one of the most well-known Nigerian players of his generation and he features in ninth place on this list after joining Fulham for €25.7m in 2023.

The former Everton star spent four years at Goodison Park, but he left on Transfer Deadline Day after a late offer from Fulham was tabled. A versatile midfielder, he has made more than 100 appearances for Arsenal, Everton and Fulham each.

8. Tolu Arokodare – €26m (Genk to Wolves, 2025)

A striker by trade, Tolu Arokodare tore up the Latvian league at Valmiera, which earned him an experimental loan move to German side Koln. Despite failing to impress in the Bundesliga, Ligue 2 side Amiens paid €2.5m to sign him in 2021.

Having shown some potential in France, he was snapped up by Genk and eventually exploded. He notched 21 goals in all competitions in 2024-25, which prompted Wolves to spend €26m on him.

He only scored three Premier League goals as the Molineux side dropped down to the Championship in 2025-26.

7. Kelechi Iheanacho – €27.7m (Man City to Leicester, 2017)

Kelechi Iheanacho was one of the most promising young forwards in world football when he broke through at Manchester City, and he appeared destined for great things.

He left the Etihad Stadium in 2017, after averaging a goal every 100 minutes for the club, and joined Leicester City for nearly €30m.

Iheanacho helped Leicester win the 2021 FA Cup, and he tallied 232 appearances for the Foxes before leaving as a free agent aged 27 in 2024.

6. Zadok Yohanna – €28m (AIK to Brighton, 2026)

Zadok Yohanna burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old at Swedish club AIK and became a key target for several big-name clubs in the summer of 2026 despite having made just 18 senior appearances in which he scored five goals.

Newcastle and Bundesliga clubs were determined to sign the teenager, but Brighton ultimately managed to secure his signature for a sizeable €28m.

5. Alex Iwobi – €30.4m (Arsenal to Everton, 2019)

The aforementioned Iwobi is also the fifth-most expensive Nigerian player in history.

He left Arsenal after 15 years at the club to join Everton for €30.4 in search of more regular game time.

Iwobi’s final game for Arsenal was the 4-1 Europa League final loss to Chelsea, in which he scored the Gunners’ only goal.

4. George Ilenikhena – €33m (AS Monaco to Al-Ittihad, 2026)

George Ilenikhena emerged as a huge talent at Amiens in France, which prompted Belgian side Royal Antwerp to sign him for €6m in 2023. After scoring a late Champions League winner against Barcelona, he was sold to AS Monaco for €18.8m just a year later.

Still a teenager, the forward was on the move yet again 18 months later when he made the surprising decision to join Al-Ittihad in a €33m deal in February 2026.

He became a poster boy for the Jeddah club following the Saudi Pro League’s decision that its clubs should increasingly target high-potential young players instead of ageing superstars.

3. Ademola Lookman – €35m (Atalanta to Atletico Madrid, 2026)

London-born Ademola Lookman was seen as a wasted talent when he joined Atalanta for €16.1m from RB Leipzig in 2022, but the Bergamo side were able to get the absolute best out of the versatile forward.

Lookman developed into a Serie A superstar at La Dea and was named African Footballer of the Year in 2024. However, his relationship with the club and long-time coach Gian Piero Gasperini eventually soured.

Atalanta repeatedly played hardball in negotiations with suitors, which meant that Lookman was only allowed to leave the club in January 2026, despite having been keen to take the next step in his career for years.

Atletico Madrid snapped him up for €35m, and he immediately hit the ground running in the Spanish capital.

2. Victor Osimhen – €75m (Napoli to Galatasaray, 2025)

Superstar striker Victor Osimhen left Napoli in acrimony in 2025 when Galatasaray smashed their club record by triggering his €75m release clause.

The year prior, Osimhen had tried to force a move away, but neither Chelsea nor Al-Ahli were able to finalise a deal with him, with the Blues reportedly baulking at his salary demands, while the Saudi side signed Ivan Toney instead.

Osimhen was still stuck at Napoli when most European transfer windows closed, so he joined Galatasaray on loan as a last resort. It proved to be a match made in heaven, and his stay was made permanent the following year.

He left Napoli after helping them win the Scudetto for the first time in 33 years in 2023.

1. Victor Osimhen – €78.9m (Lille to Napoli, 2020)

Victor Osimhen is also the most expensive Nigerian footballer of all time, thanks to his €77.5m move from Lille to Napoli in 2020.

He had scored 18 goals in 38 appearances for Les Dogues across all competitions in 2019-20, which prompted Napoli to shatter their club record on the prolific striker.

The deal later came under scrutiny for alleged false accounting. The transfer was originally valued at just €50m before Napoli sent four unwanted players to Lille to artificially inflate the fee. Three of these players never played a single game for the French club.

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

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