The 10 most expensive Belgian players of all time

25 Jul 2024 13:06 BST |
Updated: 23 Oct 2026 16:02 BST |
4 min read

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Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ may have failed to live up to their potential, but they have still produced some of the best players in European football over the last two decades.

As a result of this talent hub, some of their players are now the most expensive in football history, with eye-watering fees racked up between them.

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

10. Diego Moreira – €50m (Strasbourg to AC Milan, 2026)

After joining Strasbourg from sister club Chelsea, Diego Moreira quickly established himself as a pivotal player for the Ligue 1 outfit, with his versatility ensuring he was often one of the first names on the team sheet.

After four goals and seven assists in the 2025-26 Ligue 1 season, Moreira was wanted by a host of top clubs across Europe and it was AC Milan who won the race for his signature after finalising a €50m deal with Strasbourg.

Ruben Amorim is believed to have played a key role in the transfer, with Moreira viewed as a perfect fit for his preferred 3-4-3 system.

9. Amadou Onana – €59.4m (Everton to Aston Villa, 2024)

Amadou Onana joined Aston Villa from Premier League counterparts Everton for €59.4m in July 2024 and he is now the ninth-most expensive Belgian player in history.

Searching for midfield reinforcements at the time following Douglas Luiz’s move to Juventus, Villa moved quickly to secure Onana’s services, fighting off strong competition from Manchester United in the process.

Onana subsequently helped Unai Emery’s side win the Europa League in 2026, although his career at Villa Park has been severely impacted by several injury woes.

8. Jeremy Doku – €60m (Rennes to Man City, 2023)

Following Riyad Mahrez’s move to the Saudi Pro League, Manchester City opted to sign Stade Rennais’ Jeremy Doku as his replacement.

While the Belgian starlet was injury prone during his time in Ligue 1, he was one of the most exciting young prospects in Europe and Man City banked on his potential by agreeing a €60m transfer.

Doku helped City win the Premier League title during his debut campaign at the club and he is now regarded as one of the best wingers in the division.

7. Matias Fernandez-Pardo – €60m (Lille to Newcastle, 2026)

Matias Fernandez-Pardo spent six years in the Lille academy before joining Belgian outfit Genk in 2020, however he returned to the Ligue 1 side just four years later.

After a season of adaption, the forward established himself as a vital player during the 2025-26 campaign and he registered 13 goal contributions in just 29 matches.

This convinced Newcastle to spend a whopping €60m to sign him on Transfer Deadline Day in 2026 – making him their fifth-most expensive signing ever in the process.

6. Romeo Lavia – €62.1m (Southampton to Chelsea, 2023)

Romeo Lavia is the sixth-most expensive Belgian player in history after Chelsea fought off competition from Liverpool to secure his services in August 2023.

Chelsea had initially wanted to sign him in 2022, just weeks after his move from Manchester City to Southampton, but they were forced to wait 12 months before finally bringing him to Stamford Bridge.

However, due to persistent injury problems, Lavia played less than 1,300 minutes across his first three Premier League seasons at Chelsea combined.

5. Romelu Lukaku – €74m (Man Utd to Inter, 2019)

After eight seasons in England with Chelsea, Everton and Man Utd, Romelu Lukaku made the move to Italy by joining Inter Milan in August 2019.

Linking up with Antonio Conte at the San Siro, Lukaku was magnificent for the Nerazzurri, scoring 64 goals in 95 appearances for the club before returning to Chelsea after two seasons at Inter.

The Serie A giants turned a tidy profit in the process, with a €113m deal finalised with Chelsea.

4. Kevin de Bruyne – €76m (Wolfsburg to Man City, 2015)

Kevin de Bruyne’s reputation in England was somewhat tainted following an uneventful spell at Chelsea, so his €76m move to Man City raised a few eyebrows.

However, the Belgian had starred during his time at Wolfsburg and he quickly made his transfer fee look like an absolute bargain.

De Bruyne is now regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of the Premier League era and he has the second-most assists (119) in the competition’s history. After winning 17 trophies at Man City, he left the club to join Napoli in 2025.

3. Romelu Lukaku – €84.7m (Everton to Man Utd, 2017)

Before joining Inter in 2019, Lukaku was the subject of a €84.7m transfer to Man Utd from Everton in July 2017.

However, while Lukaku was irresistible at Everton, he was mocked for the majority of his time at Old Trafford, despite scoring 42 goals in 96 games.

2. Romelu Lukaku – €113m (Inter to Chelsea, 2021)

Lukaku’s final entry in this list is the aforementioned €113m transfer to Chelsea in August 2021.

However, after an eye-catching start to life back at Stamford Bridge, Lukaku gave an explosive interview to Sky Italia just four months later, revealing he was “not happy” at Chelsea and wanted to return to Inter.

Following the 2021-22 season, Lukaku never played for Chelsea again, spending the next two seasons on loan with Inter and Roma, before joining Napoli permanently in August 2024.

1. Eden Hazard – €115m (Chelsea to Real Madrid, 2019)

Eden Hazard remains the most expensive Belgian footballer in history, thanks to his €115m move from Chelsea to Real Madrid in 2019.

Hazard became a legend at Chelsea after scoring 110 goals between 2012 and 2019, lifting six honours including the 2019 Europa League in his final game for the club.

Injuries curtailed his dream move to La Liga heavyweights Real, however, and he retired from professional football at the age of just 32 in 2023.

The 10 most expensive Belgian players of all time

Carlo Garganese is a highly-respected football writer, broadcaster and editor with more than 15 years of experience working at the highest level for major global brands. Garganese spent 12 years at Goal.com, where he played a significant role in building and developing the website into one of the largest football media organisations in the world.

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