10 most expensive German footballers of all time

Despite success on the international stage and an endless production of world-class talent, Germany have only had one player exceed the £50million mark in the transfer market.

Here is an up-to-date list of the 10 most expensive footballers to hail from Germany.

1. Kai Havertz - €80m

Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea (2020)

Not only does Kai Havertz hold the title of most expensive German player of all time, but he also ranks second on the list after Arsenal splashed €75m to acquire him from Chelsea in 2023.

Graduating from Bayer Leverkusen's youth academy, Havertz was hot property as he dazzled in the Bundesliga and Chelsea jumped to the front of an extensive queue to prise the German from the BayArena.

Though he endured a largely underwhelming three-year stint at Stamford Bridge, Havertz did make a return on his investment by scoring the only goal of the game in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League final.

Despite great scepticism surrounding his switch to Arsenal, the German has been a refreshing success under the tutelage of Mikel Arteta at the Emirates.

2. Timo Werner - €53m

RB Leipzig to Chelsea (2020)

With a phenomenal return of 77 goals in 126 Bundesliga appearances and off the back of a 34-goal season with RB Leipzig, Werner appeared set for a move to Liverpool before Chelsea poached him from under their noses.

It was hoped Werner's blistering speed and prolific output would catapult Chelsea back into Premier League title contention and though he was a member of the Blues' UEFA Champions League success in 2021, the striker's time in SW6 was a forgetful experience.

Werner returned to Die Roten Bullen after two seasons with Chelsea before tackling England's top flight again with Tottenham.

3. Leroy Sane - €52m

Schalke to Manchester City (2016)

A member of the first cohort to join the Pep Guardiola revolution at Manchester City in 2016, Sane devastated defences for three seasons and was an integral element in the club's centurions achievement in 2017/18, scoring 10 goals and laying on 15 assists in the Premier League.

Not only did Sane possess the attributes and ingenuity to beat any full-back that he so wished, but the winger also forged deadly partnerships with Man City's frontmen Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling.

Subject to criticism regarding his attitude, Sane's 2019/20 campaign was curtailed by an ACL injury before he moved to Bayern Munich in a €52m deal, which also happens to be the fifth-most expensive transfer involving a German player.

4. Mesut Ozil - €47m

Real Madrid to Arsenal (2013)

Back in the days where fans would gather joyously to harass Sky Sports News reporters outside training grounds and stadia, there were jubilant scenes outside Emirates Stadium at the end of the 2013 summer transfer window as Arsenal clinched the signing of Ozil from Real Madrid.

Shattering the club's transfer record by three times over, the playmaker was the statement signing Arsene Wenger so desperately craved as he looked to reestablish the Gunners as a leading force in the Premier League.

Despite snippets of his extraordinary wizardry, Ozil failed to propel Arsenal back to those glory days. He did help the club to achieve some silverware with four FA Cup successes before departing in unceremonious fashion for Fenerbahce in 2021.

5. Julian Draxler - €43m

Schalke to VfL Wolfsburg (2015)

The second player on this list to roll off Schalke's production line, Draxler was coveted by many of Europe's elite clubs as he showcased his playmaking capabilities on the Bundesliga stage.

In a surprise to many, his next move was due northeast to Wolfsburg, who viewed Draxler as the perfect replacement for the departing Kevin De Bruyne.

However, Draxler's spell at the Volkswagen Arena proved a frustrating one and after his relationship with the club's hierarchy soured, the attacking midfielder was sold to PSG in the following summer for a €7m loss - still enough to rank 10th in the all-time highest transfers for German players.

6. Shkodran Mustafi - €41m

Valencia to Arsenal (2016)

Arsenal spent lavishly to bring 2014 World Cup winner Mustafi to the Premier League from Valencia, although his time at the Emirates was anything but luxurious.

For every stellar performance, Mustafi's career was undermined by a catalogue of individual mistakes. An error-strewn 2018/19 campaign saw the club attempt to offload him, but the central defender enjoyed an unsuspecting revival under Arteta before departing on a free transfer in 2021.

7. Thilo Kehrer - €37m

Schalke to Paris Saint-Germain (2018)

Another manufactured in Gelsenkirchen (it's astonishing the predicament Schalke find themselves in given the money they've generated from player sales), Kehrer made a serene breakthrough at the Vetlins Arena in the 2017/18 season and attracted the attention of Ligue 1 giants PSG.

Predominantly a centre-back, Kehrer was deployed at full-back by the Parisian club and his versatility was utilised by Germany's national team manager Joachim Low, who handed the young defender his international debut in 2018.

Kehrer spent four years in the French capital and won three Ligue 1 titles before a £10.1m switch to West Ham in 2022, which is perhaps indicative of him failing to live up to expectations at the Parc des Princes.

8. Mario Gotze - €37m

Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich (2013)

One of the most notable figures to make the switch from the eastern Ruhr to the Bavarian capital, Gotze was the poster boy of German football when Bayern prised him from long-standing rivals Dortmund.

Guardiola had a project prepared which would mould Gotze into an all-conquering false nine and while he flourished in his first season, the midfielder's career plateaued following his winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final as injuries and fatigue hindered his progress.

He returned to Dortmund in 2016 with a sense of unfulfillment from his time in Munich. Diagnosed with a rare metabolic illness in 2017, Gotze showed patches of his talent but was never quite the same.

Moving to PSV Eindhoven in 2020, Gotze returned to the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022.

9. Antonio Rudiger - €35m

Roma to Chelsea (2017)

You may recall Chelsea's social media announcement of Rudiger's capture. "Dad, I want Rudiger!" says a boy who wants a name on the back of his replica shirt, prompting the shop assistant to enter a stock room where Rudiger was being held captive and the defender replies: "No problem, I'm a Chelsea player now."

Thankfully Rudiger's time at Stamford Bridge was far superior to the video in which he was introduced.

The Stuttgart academy product was instrumental in the club's UEFA Champions League success in 2021 and after opting against a new contract, Rudiger joined Real Madrid on a free transfer in 2022 where he is now recognised as one of the best central defenders in the world.

10. Mats Hummels - €35m

Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich (2016)

Following in the footsteps of Gotze, Hummels' career has been a revolving door of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund but it was his switch in 2016 which raised the most eyebrows.

The centre-back had been the pillar of Dortmund's defence for eight glorious years and his arrival in Munich was another indicator of Bayern widening the gap to their Bundesliga rivals.

Hummels added three league titles to his collection before slipping down the pecking order at the Allianz Arena, which prompted his return to Dortmund in 2019.

(All transfers in Euros. Source: Transfermarkt.co.uk.)