Liverpool's 10 biggest sales of all time

Updated: 13 Sept 2026 10:11 BST |
7 min read

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Under owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool have generally tried to out-think their rivals in the transfer market, rather than simply outspend them.

This has meant that the Premier League giants have been able to negotiate relatively large fees for unwanted players to cover the cost of their dream transfer targets.

That transfer policy has been elevated to another level in recent years following the big-money arrivals of Bradley Barcola, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.

However, these investments have been offset by major sales, particularly in the summer of 2025, allowing the Reds to avoid breaching financial regulations.

Here, FootballTransfers lists the 10 most expensive sales in Liverpool’s history.

10. Sadio Mane – €32m (to Bayern Munich, 2022)

Sadio Mane completed a €32m move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022, ending a trophy-laden, six-year spell with Liverpool.

Credited as the player who kick-started the Reds’ transformation under Jurgen Klopp, the forward scored 120 goals in 269 games and won six major honours with the club.

However, Mane’s time at Bayern did not go to plan and the Senegal legend moved to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr after just one just season in Germany.

9. Xabi Alonso – €34.5m (to Real Madrid, 2009)

The year before Javier Mascherano left for Barcelona, Xabi Alonso swapped Anfield for the Bernabeu when he completed a big-money move to Real Madrid in 2009.

A departure which then-club captain Steven Gerrard described as “devastating”, Alonso was one of the heroes of Liverpool’s famous comeback in the 2005 Champions League final.

The Spain icon would repeat the trick with Real by helping them win ‘La Decima’ – their 10th European crown – against rivals Atletico Madrid in the 2014 showpiece.

8. Jarell Quansah – €35m (to Bayer Leverkusen, 2025)

Academy graduate Jarell Quansah was a revelation in Klopp’s final season as Liverpool boss in 2023-24, but he never earned the trust of the German’s successor, Arne Slot.

Substituted at half-time and publicly criticised after the Dutchman’s first game in charge at Ipswich, Quansah only played a bit-part role in Liverpool’s Premier League title win in 2024-25.

As a result, Quansah left his formative club to join Bayer Leverkusen in July 2025, and his form in the Bundesliga led to interest from Arsenal the following the summer.

7. Fabinho – €46.7m (to Al-Ittihad, 2023)

Fabinho was one of the world’s best defensive midfielders at Liverpool, playing a huge role in them winning their first Premier League title for 30 years in 2020.

However, as is the case with every ageing player, Fabinho began to lag in 2022 and his poor form coincided with Liverpool dropping out of the top four in 2022-23.

After weeks of speculation surrounding his future on Merseyside, the Brazil international was then sold to Al-Ittihad for €46.7m in July 2023.

6. Darwin Nunez – €53m (to Al-Hilal, 2025)

Uruguay international Darwin Nunez was an enigma during his three years at Liverpool.

Despite having all the physical attributes to dominate the Premier League, he lacked one of the most important traits for a striker: composure.

His erratic finishing meant that the €85m signing went down as a huge flop at Anfield, despite being a popular figure with supporters due to his exceptional work rate.

Liverpool managed to recoup a large chunk of their original outlay when they sold Nunez to Al-Hilal for €53m in the summer of 2025.

5. Fernando Torres – €58.5m (to Chelsea, 2011)

In one of the most active January transfer windows in Premier League history, Liverpool sold Fernando Torres to Chelsea in 2011 for a then-British record fee.

Already on the wane at Liverpool, Torres was unable to reboot his career in England with Chelsea, failing to score more than eight league goals in a season for the Blues.

However, he did help Chelsea win their first Champions League crown in 2012 by scoring a memorable solo goal against Barcelona in the semi-finals.

4. Raheem Sterling – €63.7m (to Man City, 2015)

Raheem Sterling had been the subject of multiple bids from Manchester City before he was eventually sold by Liverpool for a fee that rose to €63.7m with add-ons.

He had impressed as Liverpool narrowly missed out on the Premier League title in 2014, but given he was just 20 years old at the time, it was a gamble by Man City.

However, Sterling established himself as one of the best attackers in Europe under Pep Guardiola at City, before leaving for Chelsea in the summer of 2022.

3. Luis Diaz – €70m (to Bayern Munich, 2025)

Having initially resisted interest from Bayern, Liverpool eventually sold Luis Diaz to the German heavyweights after the Colombia star pushed for the move.

The Reds were originally keen to keep hold of the forward after he helped fire them to the 2024 Premier League title with 13 goals under then-manager Slot.

Diaz has gone on to build an incredible partnership with Harry Kane and Michael Olise at Bayern, netting 27 goals in 57 games for the Bavarians.

2. Luis Suarez – €81.72m (to Barcelona, 2014)

Signed, along with the less successful Andy Carroll, as a replacement for the aforementioned Torres, Luis Suarez was an absolute sensation at Liverpool.

Suarez emerged as one of the world’s best players in 2013-14, recording 31 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League as the Reds missed out on the title to Man City.

That form led Suarez to join Barcelona, where he forged the greatest front three in football history alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar, winning the treble in 2014-15.

1. Philippe Coutinho – €135m (to Barcelona, 2018)

Identified as a replacement for Brazil compatriot Neymar, Barcelona had an offer for Philippe Coutinho rejected by Liverpool in the summer of 2017.

However, Coutinho would eventually join the La Liga giants in one of the most expensive deals of all time in January 2018, signing a five-and-a-half-year contract at Camp Nou.

But despite winning La Liga in 2018 and 2019, Coutinho was a shadow of his former self at Barcelona, recording 25 goals and 14 assists in 106 games in Catalunya.

And in one of the most barely-believable chapters in football history, Coutinho scored twice to knock parent club Barcelona out of the 2020 Champions League while on loan at Bayern.

The 10 biggest Liverpool sales 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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