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10 Most Expensive Premier League Transfers of All Time

most expensive premier league transfers

What are the most expensive Premier League transfers of all time? These are the players clubs pulled out all the stops for. 

Most Expensive Premier League Transfers

EPL clubs are among the richest clubs in the world and are loaded up with cash from sponsorship and broadcast deals to buy the best players on the planet.

Lets take a look at the 10 most expensive Premier League transfers of all time.

10. Jadon Sancho – £73m

Jadon Sancho quickly became one of the most sought after youngsters in world football while at Borussia Dortmund. After a prolonged transfer saga he finally made a move to Manchester United in 2021. 

The £73 million deal is one of the biggest Premier League transfers of all time, but his debut season with the Red Devils was underwhelming, with just three Premier League goals.

United won’t be too worried, Sancho having joined the club at only 21 years of age, and having had four stellar years in Dortmund mostly as a teenager, scoring 50 goals and 57 assists in 137 appearances.

9. Virgil Van Dijk – £75m

Virgil Van Dijk’s £75 million transfer to Liverpool from Southampton in January 2018 was a then-world record for the most expensive defender. The Dutchman’s arrival at Anfield was met with very high expectations and he exceeded them all with immediate effect.

He quickly established himself as one of the best defenders in the club’s recent history. Under his leadership, Liverpool have gone on to win the Premier League, League Cup, FA Cup, and Champions League. 

Van Dijk’s exceptional leadership, aerial ability, and distribution skills at the back made him one of the best center-backs in the world and he even earned himself the 2019 Ballon d’Or runner-up award.

8. Harry Maguire – £80m

Harry Maguire usurped Virgil van Dijk to become the most expensive defender of all time after signing for Manchester United from Leicester City for £80 million in the summer of 2019. 

Maguire was a first-team regular during his first few years at Old Trafford but after a string of rough performances drew strong criticism from large sections of the Manchester United fan base.

Unfortunately the transfer has been somewhat of a flop with Maguire proving to be heavy, slow, and error prone, which has led to many inexcusable and crucial mistakes at the back.

7. Antony – £82.2m

Manchester United completed a big-money move for Brazilian winger Antony in the summer of 2022. The club made Antony one of the most expensive Premier League transfers after bringing him in from Ajax for over £82 million.

He came with high hopes that he’d bring a new dimension up from at Old Trafford. Despite a promising start, becoming the first United player in 50 years to score goals in his first three games, Antony began to struggle and has found it difficult to find consistency. 

With the transfer fee being so high, there’s a lot of pressure on him to prove that he’s worth the investment especially with comparisons of Antony to Cristiano Ronaldo.

6. Mykhailo Mudryk £88.5m

The lightning quick Mykhailo Mudryk was on the radar of Europe’s best clubs following outstanding performances with Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk. 

Despite expressing an initial desire to join Arsenal, Chelsea swooped in and poached the Ukrainian after meeting the £88.5 million asking price. Chelsea had trumped Arsenal with guaranteed fees as opposed to the heavily incentivised Arsenal proposal.

The transfer is one of the most expensive Premier League transfers, and is a new transfer fee record for a Ukrainian and Ukrainian club. It smashed the previous record held by Fred who joined Manchester United for £47 million in 2018. 

Mudryk made an immediate impact, coming off the bench in a 0-0 draw against Liverpool in his debut and setting a new record as the fastest player in the league for the season. He clocked a top speed of 36.63 km and is not far off the fastest Premier League players in history.

5. Romelu Lukaku – £90m

Romelu Lukaku’s transfer to Manchester United in 2017 was huge transfer news as one of the biggest Premier League transfers of all time. After an initial £75 million fee, United paid an addition £15 million in add ons to take the total transfer to £90 million.

The Belgian striker had proven himself as one of the league’s top goal scorers at Everton and had a very promising start at Old Trafford, scoring 16 Premier League goals in his debut season.

Lukaku’s time at Old Trafford was marred by inconsistency and he ultimately left for Inter Milan in 2019 where he went on to win a Serie A title and Serie A Most Valuable Playerr award.

4. Paul Pogba – £93.25m

Paul Pogba made a highly publicized return to his former club Manchester United in 2016 after spending time in the United youth academy and featuring in a couple first team Premier League appearances as a teenager. 

Pogba had left Manchester for Juventus in 2012 for an almost-criminal steal, just £800,000 in compensation. After four years in Italy and following four consecutive league titles, Pogba rejoined Manchester for a then-world record fee of £93.25 million. 

Despite some success with Manchester United – winning the EFL Cup and Europa League in 2017 – Pogba was often criticized for being inconsistent. He again left the club, this time on a free transfer, returning to Juventus in 2022.

3. Romelu Lukaku – £97.5m

Romelu Lukaku began his career at Chelsea in 2011. Due to limited opportunities he went out on loan to West Brom and Everton, where he established himself as one of the most prolific goal scorers in the league.

Lukaku then joined Everton permanently before moving to Manchester United in a deal that totalled £90 million in 2017, one of the most expensive Premier League transfers of all time. After not living up to expectations at Old Trafford, he moved to Inter Milan in a deal worth £74 million. 

At Inter, Lukaku rediscovered his best form and impressed his former club Chelsea after leading Inter to a Serie A title. Chelsea then splashed the cash with a £97.5 million transfer fee in 2021 to bring him back to Stamford bridge. He was sent back out on loan in 2022 after less than impressive performances.

2. Jack Grealish – £100m

English winger Jack Grealish rose to prominence as one of the most exciting players in the Premier League after coming through the youth academy at Aston Villa, and becoming one of the first teams most important players.

In the 2020/21 season, Grealish recorded the third-highest number of assists in the top flight, despite missing three months of action due to injury, enough to convince Manchester City to pay £100 million – the highest fee ever paid for an English player. 

Grealish is one of the best dribblers in England, and is recognised by teams as one of the biggest attacking threats leading to Grealish being one of most fouled players in the Premier League.

1. Enzo Fernandez – £106.8m

Chelsea smashed the British transfer fee record for Enzo Fernandez in 2023, who now becomes the most expensive Premier League transfer ever.

The Argentine midfielder joined the club from Benfica in the same transfer window as new teammate Mykhailo Mudryk, who himself is one of the most expensive Premier League transfers. 

Fernandez joined Chelsea as a 22-year old and is a proven ball-winner, who has the energy and aggression to press and regain possession of the ball quickly.

His astonishing rise accelerated rapidly, with the midfield maestro named as the Best Young Player at the 2022 World Cup, a tournament he won with Argentina and one which he also scored one of the goals of the tournament against Mexico.

On his way to becoming a generational talent, the ultra rare talent is able to boss the midfield and he’s already proven that he can do so on the world’s biggest stage.

Matt Ieriko

Matt Ieriko is a freelance writer who’s evolved his lifelong passion for sport into the creation of WolfgangSport.com in 2020 – an American sports blog covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS and more. As an Australian, he’s always been fascinated with the cultural differences and global significance of sports in America.

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