The 10 most expensive Spanish players of all time

11 May 2023 10:11 BST |
Updated: 13 Oct 2026 12:45 BST |
4 min read

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Spain have returned to the big time in international football with their recent triumphs at the 2024 European Championship and the 2026 World Cup.

La Roja had dominated the late 2000s and early 2010s, winning Euro 2008 and 2012 either side of their maiden World Cup victory in 2010 under Vincente del Bosque.

And after a period of stagnation between 2014 and 2022, Spain have risen once again under Luis de la Fuente, the architect of their second wave of success.

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

10. Nico Gonzalez – €60m (Porto to Man City, 2025)

Manchester City were crying out for a young, dynamic midfielder in 2024-25 with Rodri sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury at the time.

And then-manager Pep Guardiola got his wish in the dying hours of the 2025 January transfer window when Nico Gonzalez arrived from Porto for €60m.

The No. 6 helped the Cityzens qualify for the Champions League that season before going on to win the domestic cup double in 2025-26.

Gonzalez then left City for Newcastle United in the summer of 2026.

9. Rodri – €60m (Man City to Barcelona, 2026)

Speaking of Rodri, the midfield metronome brought an end to his trophy-laden, seven-year spell at Man City by joining Barcelona for €60m in the summer of 2026.

Fresh from captaining Spain to World Cup glory that summer, Rodri was keen to return to his homeland, with Real Madrid also keen on his services.

However, Rodri decided to join Barcelona instead and made an immediate impact at Camp Nou, helping them win their first nine games in 2026-27.

8. Dani Olmo – €61m (RB Leipzig to Barcelona, 2024)

Dani Olmo spent seven years in Barcelona’s La Masia academy before making the bold choice to leave the club and join Dinamo Zagreb in 2014.

He impressed in Croatia and after signing for Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in 2020, Olmo returned to Camp Nou four years later.

The Spaniard impressed en route to his nation’s triumph at Euro 2024 and left Leipzig with 29 goals in 148 games for the club.

7. Dean Huijsen – €62.5m (Bournemouth to Real Madrid, 2025)

Juventus made the foolish decision to sell centre-back Dean Huijsen to Bournemouth for just €22m in 2024, and they were quickly left ruing their mistake.

Huijsen benefited from a Marcos Senesi injury and never looked back, sparkling alongside Illia Zabarnyi under then-Cherries head coach Andoni Iraola in 2024-25.

Amid rival interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, Real Madrid triggered his €62.5m release clause, handing the South Coast club a handsome profit.

6. Aymeric Laporte – €65m (Athletic Club to Man City, 2018)

Athletic Club have a strict policy of only employing players from the Basque region, which means they demand major transfer fees for all of their players.

Aymeric Laporte is no exception and he cost Man City a whopping €65m in January 2018, with the Frenchman leaving Athletic Club with 222 appearances for the club.

Laporte won 16 trophies at Man City including one Champions League crown and six Premier League titles, before joining Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr in 2023.

5. Marc Cucurella – €65.3m (Brighton to Chelsea, 2022)

Marc Cucurella was in high demand following a fantastic debut campaign at Brighton and Hove Albion, with Chelsea battling Man City for his signature in 2022.

However, it was the west London giants who won the race to sign the left-back, who – after a difficult start at Stamford Bridge – turned his fortunes around.

Cucurella claimed the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup double with Chelsea in 2024-25, all the while helping Spain win Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup.

He was sold to Real Madrid for €55m on the eve of the latter tournament.

4. Alvaro Morata – €66m (Real Madrid to Chelsea, 2017)

Alvaro Morata scored 20 goals in all competitions in his final season at Real Madrid, despite playing second fiddle to Karim Benzema.

That return prompted Chelsea to select him as their replacement for Diego Costa, who fell out of favour under then-manager Antonio Conte in the summer of 2017.

However, while Morata enjoyed a fairly prolific debut campaign at Stamford Bridge, scoring on 15 occasions, he became renowned for several high-profile misses.

Things worsened in his second season and he was subsequently sold to Atletico Madrid in 2020, following an 18-month loan spell at the Metropolitano Stadium.

3. Rodri – €70m (Atletico Madrid to Man City, 2019)

The only man to appear on this list twice is Rodri, who joined Premier League side Man City from Atletico Madrid for €70m in the summer of 2019.

City were in the market for a long-term heir to Fernandinho and decided to place their trust in Rodri, despite the midfielder having spent just one season with Atletico.

After a period of adaptation in his first season under Guardiola, Rodri soon established himself as an indispensable player at the Etihad Stadium.

After playing a significant role in City winning the treble in 2022-23, scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final that season, Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

2. Martin Zubimendi – €70m (Real Sociedad to Arsenal, 2025)

Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi became the joint-second most expensive Spanish player when Arsenal signed him for €70m in the summer of 2025.

The 2024/25 season proved Arsenal needed a deeper-lying playmaker to unleash Declan Rice, and Mikel Arteta opted to sign a fellow Basque after tracking him for years.

The previous summer, Zubimendi had been close to joining Liverpool, but a last-minute u-turn – perhaps influenced by Arteta – saw him reject the move.

The Reds’ loss was Arsenal’s gain as he played an important role in the Gunners finally ending their decades-long Premier League title drought in 2026.

1. Kepa Arrizabalaga – €80m (Athletic Club to Chelsea, 2018)

The most expensive Spanish footballer in history is Kepa Arrizabalaga, thanks to his €80m move from Athletic Club to Chelsea in 2018.

The Blues were in desperate need of a new goalkeeper following Thibaut Courtois’ departure to Real Madrid and they opted to sign Kepa after missing out on Alisson.

However, the Spaniard was a disastrous signing and after several poor performances, he was sent out on loan to Real Madrid and Bournemouth in 2023 and 2024 respectively, before being signed by Arsenal as a backup shot-stopper in 2025.

The 10 most expensive Spanish football players of all time