West Ham's 10 biggest sales of all time

28 Jun 2023 15:06 BST |
Updated: 18 Sept 2026 13:51 BST |
6 min read

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West Ham United suffered a shock relegation to the Championship in 2026, but they remain one of the biggest clubs in England, and a host of quality players have turned out for the club over the years.

They have not typically been huge spenders in the transfer market, however they have sold a host of stars for large sums, including several following their aforementioned relegation from the Premier League.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through West Ham’s 10 biggest ever sales.

10. Rio Ferdinand – €26m (to Leeds, 2000)

Rio Ferdinand made his name at West Ham and he was among their collection of young English talent in the early noughties.

Following his breakthrough in east London, Leeds took the plunge and spent a whopping €26m to sign him in 2000, which was a British transfer record at the time and also made the England international the most expensive defender in the world.

Manchester United then broke that record to bring him to Old Trafford in 2002, where he affirmed himself as a Premier League all-time great.

9. Gianluca Scamacca – €28m (to Atalanta, 2023)

Gianluca Scamacca was signed as a potential replacement for Michail Antonio, but the Italian simply didn’t suit David Moyes’ style of play.

After arriving from Genoa for €28.5m, West Ham were happy to sell him back to Serie A for a small loss just one year later.

Scamacca left the Hammers having scored eight goals in 27 appearances for the club. At Atalanta, he helped them win a historic Europa League in his first season.

8. Carlos Tevez – €29m (to Man City, 2009)

Carlos Tevez joined West Ham alongside Argentina team-mate Javier Mascherano in a shock transfer deal that saw the Hammers receive a huge £5.5m fine by the FA after breaching rules over third-party ownership of players.

As a result, Tevez’s time at West Ham was short-lived – but his seven goals during his sole campaign at the club made him something of a cult hero among West Ham fans.

The Argentine then spent two years on loan at Man Utd before he joined Manchester City on a permanent deal in 2009.

7. Dimitri Payet – €29.3m (to Marseille, 2017)

Dimitri Payet won the Premier League Player of the Year at the 2016 London Football Awards after his inaugural year at West Ham following a sensational debut campaign with the club.

His flamboyant style, stunning free-kicks and dribbling ability won over the affection of the West Ham fanbase, but things took a turn when manager Slaven Bilic announced that Payet no longer wanted to play for the club.

After two seasons with the Hammers, the Frenchman re-joined Marseille for almost double the amount West Ham paid to sign him in 2015.

6. El Hadji Malick Diouf – €40.8m (to Brentford, 2026)

Following the success of Tomas Soucek, West Ham returned to Slavia Prague to sign El Hadji Malick Diouf for €22m in 2025.

After an eye-catching first season with the east London outfit, in which Diouf recorded five league assists, the Senegal full-back earned a move to Brentford following West Ham’s relegation.

The Hammers earned a tidy profit after finalising a €40.8m sale.

5. Lucas Paqueta – €42m (to Flamengo, 2026)

Lucas Paqueta was a marquee signing when he arrived at West Ham in 2022, but his career in east London was underpinned by a betting scandal that saw him investigated for two years.

The Brazil star was eventually cleared of spot-fixing charges, however the controversy ended Paqueta’s chances of completing a proposed move to Man City, despite the desire of Pep Guardiola’s side to finalise a deal.

After rumoured interest from Aston Villa in 2025, Paqueta eventually returned to former club Flamengo for a fee of €42m in January 2026.

4. Mohammed Kudus – €63.8m (to Tottenham, 2025)

Mohammed Kudus became the first West Ham player to join rivals Tottenham since Scott Parker in 2011 when he completed a €63.8m transfer in the summer of 2025.

The Ghana forward had been a standout performer across his two-year stint in east London and he opted to join Spurs following reported interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Kudus scored 19 goals in 80 games for West Ham and the Hammers turned a tidy profit on the winger after purchasing him from Ajax for €43m in 2023.

3. Crysencio Summerville – €64.5m (to Al-Hilal, 2026)

Crysencio Summerville was linked with Chelsea, Man Utd and Roma following West Ham’s relegation in 2026, but he completed a surprise move to Saudi Arabia instead.

The Netherlands attacker had caught the eye with his form following the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo and he was widely expected to join a major European club before accepting a lucrative contract offer from Al-Hilal.

He left West Ham having scored eight goals in 56 games for the club, and he is their third-biggest sale in history.

2. Mateus Fernandes – €99m (to Tottenham, 2026)

West Ham picked up Mateus Fernandes following Southampton’s relegation to the Championship and he was one of their standout players during the 2025-26 campaign, catching the eye with his form in midfield.

The Portugal midfielder had no intention of playing in the second-tier, however, and he soon earned another Premier League transfer after Tottenham agreed to pay a whopping €99m.

Spurs also signed Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali for a hefty fee during the same window, with the north London giants keen to back new manager Roberto De Zerbi in the transfer market.

1. Declan Rice – €116.6m (to Arsenal, 2023)

Declan Rice absolutely shattered the aforementioned Payet’s record as West Ham’s most expensive sale when he moved to Arsenal in July 2023 for a then-British record fee.

Rice broke into the West Ham first-team in 2017 and he went on to play 245 matches for the club, earning England honours along the way.

He will be remembered as a Hammers great, in part thanks to the role he had as David Moyes’ side won the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2023, and he has established himself as one of the best midfielders in world football at Arsenal.

The 10 biggest West Ham sales of all time