10 most expensive Spanish footballers of all time

Given the international success Spain have had this century, it is surprising to see that no Spaniard has broken the €100m transfer barrier yet, suggesting there have been some real bargains featuring La Roja stars over the years.

Here is an up-to-date list of the top 10 completed moves involving Spanish players.

1. Kepa Arrizabalaga - Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea - €80m

The man who holds the title of most expensive Spanish player of all time as well as the priciest goalkeeper ever is Kepa, whose time at Chelsea has been an interesting one, to say the least. 

A decent start to life at Stamford Bridge was quickly undone by his refusal to come off ahead of a penalty shootout in the 2019 League Cup final, with the Blues then losing to Manchester City. 

He was pivotal in Chelsea’s UEFA Europa League success in the same season but has since struggled for form and is now on loan at Bournemouth, with €80m looking like a big overpayment at current. 

2. Rodri - Atletico Madrid to Manchester City - €70m

Analysing the success of Rodri’s transfer to Manchester City is a far easier task than judging Kepa’s time at Chelsea. 

A complete midfielder, Rodri has been pivotal in the Citizens’ four consecutive Premier League victories while he also scored the winning goal against Inter Milan in their first-ever UEFA Champions League triumph in 2023. 

Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or, but an ACL injury has ruled him out of the 2024-25 season, with City already feeling the effects of his absence, recently losing four games in a row for the first time under Pep Guardiola. 

3. Alvaro Morata - Real Madrid to Chelsea - €66m

Chelsea feature for the second time already, and sadly for the Blues, it marks another failure.

Morata arrived from Real Madrid in 2017 to help Chelsea retain their Premier League title, only to score 24 goals in 72 matches across two seasons and depart permanently for Atletico Madrid in 2020, for a fee €31m less than the Blues paid. 

4. Marc Cucurella - Brighton to Chelsea - €65.3m

For the third time in four entries on this list, Chelsea, who clearly have an affinity for expensive Spaniards, are the purchasing club. 

Cucurella’s start to life at Stamford Bridge was slow, and he was touted as a flop early on. 

However, his versatility has proved pivotal under Mauricio Pochettino last term and Enzo Maresca this time around, and his improvement could be seen when he was a key cog of Spain’s Euro 2024 winning side in the summer. 

5. Aymeric Laporte - Athletic Bilbao to Manchester City - €65m

Manchester City’s record of signing Spaniards is clearly more consistent than Chelsea’s, as Laporte, like Rodri, was another key member of Guardiola’s all-conquering team for several years. 

Injuries hampered his time at the Etihad slightly, but Laporte was still an excellent defender when fit and won five Premier Leagues, two FA Cups, three League Cups and a UEFA Champions League before departing for Saudi side Al Nassr in 2023. 

6. Diego Costa - Chelsea to Atletico Madrid - €60m

Despite being a key member of Chelsea’s title-winning side, Costa was deemed surplus to requirements by Antonio Conte, who informed the Brazilian-born striker of this fact via an unceremonious text message. 

Costa refused to leave for anyone other than his former side Atletico Madrid, resulting in the Blues holding him ransom as they demanded a high fee, with said price eventually being agreed outside of the transfer window, meaning the striker could only join Atleti in January. 

His return to Madrid did not quite go to plan, as he netted just 19 goals in 81 games, although he was key in their 2019 UEFA Europa League success. 

7. Fernando Torres - Liverpool to Chelsea - €58.5m

The most controversial move on this list and, unsurprisingly, it features Chelsea again as their interest in Torres saw the Spaniard leave Liverpool for a British transfer record. 

Domestically, El Nino was a huge flop, scoring just 20 goals in 110 Premier League games for the Blues, seemingly losing all of the poaching instincts and ruthless finishing ability he had demonstrated at Liverpool. 

However, he achieved cult-hero status at Chelsea thanks to his iconic breakaway goal against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semi-final en route to the Blues’ maiden success in the 2011-12 campaign. 

8. Dani Olmo - RB Leipzig to Barcelona - €55m

The most recent transfer on this list, Olmo, moved to Barcelona from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2024. 

An excellent Euro 2024, which saw him finish as one of the six top scorers, was a huge reason for his move, and he has made a strong start back at the club he spent his youth career with, netting five goals in eight games for Barca ahead of the November international break. 

9. Ferran Torres - Manchester City to Barcelona - €55m

Eyebrows were raised when Barcelona paid €55m for Ferran Torres in 2021, given Manchester City had paid just €23m one year prior. 

He has yet to really pay back that sizeable fee, too, netting a modest 26 goals in 122 matches for Barca and playing only a minor role in their 2022-23 La Liga title win. 

10. Gaizka Mendieta - Valencia to Lazio - €48m

An exquisite midfielder, capable of doing magical things with the ball while also putting in a shift defensively, Mendieta was key to Valencia’s unlikely consecutive runs to the UEFA Champions League final in 2000 and 2001, earning him a big-money move to Serie A. 

The oldest transfer on this list, Mendieta’s move to Lazio did not quite go to plan as he struggled in Rome before eventually moving to Middlesbrough, where he achieved cult-hero status. 

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