The 10 most expensive German players of all time

Updated: 3 Jul 2026 11:32 BST |
5 min read

Cameron Smith
|
Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

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Germany are one of the biggest nations in world football, so much so that they have the second most match wins (70) in World Cup history.

Unsurprisingly, they have benefitted from some of the greatest players of all time and many of those stars have moved clubs for huge transfer fees.

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

READ MORE: The 10 most expensive English players of all time

10. Shkodran Mustafi – €41m (Valencia to Arsenal, 2016)

Shkodran Mustafi became somewhat of a laughing stock at Arsenal, but his reputation was top notch before he moved to England.

However, the defender was error-prone during his time at the Emirates Stadium and he subsequently left on a free transfer in 2021, before retiring three years later.

9. Julian Draxler – €43m (Schalke to Wolfsburg, 2015)

Julian Draxler was one of the hottest prospects in German football during his time at Schalke and Wolfsburg pulled off a huge coup when signing the attacking midfielder in 2015.

However, his move to Wolfsburg came after a huge injury during his final campaign at Schalke and Draxler only made 45 appearances at the Volkswagen Arena. He then joined PSG in January 2017.

8. Mesut Ozil – €47m (Real Madrid to Arsenal, 2013)

The signing of Mesut Ozil was a massive statement of intent by Arsenal. He arrived with a huge reputation from Real Madrid and went a long way to repairing the damage of Robin van Persie’s exit to Manchester United one year prior.

Ozil notched 19 assists in the 2015-16 Premier League campaign, almost breaking the single-season record which was held by Thierry Henry at the time, but his career in north London ended on a sour note after a contract dispute.

7. Leroy Sane – €49m (Man City to Bayern, 2020)

Leroy Sane’s move back to Germany was expected in 2019, but an ACL injury ruled out a transfer to Bayern Munich and so he was forced to wait until 2020.

Sane scored 61 goals in 223 appearances at the Allianz Arena, winning eight trophies including four Bundesliga titles. He then joined Galatasaray in June 2025.

6. Leroy Sane – €52m (Schalke to Man City, 2016)

Sane’s move from Schalke to Man City cost the Premier League giants €52m in 2016 after a stunning breakout into senior football in the Bundesliga.

The rapid winger eventually left the Etihad Stadium with 135 appearances, 39 goals and seven major trophies to his name.

5. Timo Werner – €53m (RB Leipzig to Chelsea, 2020)

Timo Werner was wanted by every elite club in Europe after notching 34 goals and 13 assists during his final season at RB Leipzig.

Chelsea won the race for his signature and although he played a role in the Blues’ Champions League win in 2021, Werner was ultimately a disappointment and he re-joined Leipzig for just €20m in 2022.

4. Kai Havertz – €75m (Chelsea to Arsenal, 2023)

Like Werner, Kai Havertz left Chelsea after a poor spell at Stamford Bridge, although he memorably scored the winner in the aforementioned Champions League final.

The attacker was viewed as a perfect signing by Mikel Arteta and he has so far scored 36 goals in 111 appearances for Arsenal, helping them win the Premier League title in 2025-26.

3. Nick Woltemade – €75m (Stuttgart to Newcastle United, 2023)

After agreeing to sell Alexander Isak to Liverpool for a British record fee of €144m (£125m), Newcastle United spent a large chunk of that money on Nick Woltemade in August 2025.

Standing at 6 foot 6 inches tall yet with excellent feet, the forward scored 11 goals in 51 appearances in his first season with the Magpies.

2. Kai Havertz – €80m (Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea, 2020)

Havertz’s original move to Chelsea cost €80m in 2020. The forward was one of the biggest talents in world football after a fantastic spell in Bayer Leverkusen’s first-team.

He never fully adapted to life in west London, however, and left after an underwhelming spell, bar his Champions League winner.

1. Florian Wirtz – €117.5m (Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool, 2025)

Florian Wirtz established himself as one of the world’s most exciting talents at Bayer Leverkusen and played a crucial role in the Werkself winning their first-ever Bundesliga title in 2023-24.

He followed that up with another elite campaign in 2024-25, after which he was expected to depart the club. Many assumed that he would be on his way to Bayern Munich, but Wirtz surprised everybody when he gave the nod to then-Premier League champions Liverpool.

After lengthy talks with Leverkusen, the Reds agreed to shell out a club-record €117.5m, with bonuses potentially taking the deal up to a Premier League-record €136.3m.

The 10 most expensive German soccer players 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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