Top 10 most expensive football transfers of all time

17 players have been purchased for a fee of €100 million or more and we've taken a look at the top 10 most expensive player sales of all time.

• Jack Grealish (€117.50m)

Jack Grealish's magnificence for Aston Villa saw Manchester City open the chequebook and prise him from Villa Park in a British record deal.

Despite featuring prominently in the Citizens' UEFA Champions League success in 2023, Grealish has struggled to live up to the expectation of his burdening price tag.

• Antoine Griezmann (€120.00m)

Barcelona met Antoine Griezmann's €120m buyout clause when they signed him from Atletico Madrid in 2019.

The Frenchman's stint in the Catalan capital was underwhelming and within two years Griezmann returned to Atletico on loan before making his return permanent in a deal worth €100m less than what Barcelona initially paid.

• Eden Hazard (€120.80m)

Off the back of his most productive season in a Chelsea shirt, Real Madrid signed Eden Hazard on a five-year deal in the summer of 2019.

However, injuries blighted his stint at the Santiago Bernabeu and Hazard retired aged 32 in 2023.

• Enzo Fernandez (€121.00m)

Currently the most expensive signing in Premier League history, Enzo Fernandez is one of Todd Boehly's most extravagant signings since assuming control of Chelsea.

Fernandez was purchased from Benfica in another extremely profitable sale for the Portuguese giants.

• Florian Wirtz (€125.00m)

Smashing the British record most the highest transfer fee ever paid for a player is Liverpool's €125m purchase of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.

The German international was fundamental to Leverkusen's unbeaten title win under Xabi Alonso, quickly establishing himself as one of the best players on the planet at just 22 years old.

• Joao Felix (€127.20m)

Another individual to emerge from the Benfica conveyor belt before being sold for an astronomical fee, Joao Felix was purchased for a mouth-watering sum by Atletico Madrid in 2019.

Atletico had used the finance generated from Griezmann's sale to fund the deal, although their purchase of Felix has proven to be something of a bust with Felix moving to Chelsea in 2024 for €52m.

• Ousmane Dembele (€135.00m)

Barcelona's spending spree in the summer of 2017 was extreme and Ousmane Dembele was one of their marquee additions from Borussia Dortmund.

The winger encountered countless difficulties at the Nou Camp but the input of Xavi sparked a resurgence and Dembele has found his best form since moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2024.

• Philippe Coutinho (€135.00m)

Liverpool supporters were left exasperated when they had to bid farewell to the talismanic Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona in 2017 but without his sale, the Reds may never have been able to evolve into the competitive force they become under Jurgen Klopp.

While Coutinho's departure was justified with the acquisitions of Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, the Brazilian's time at Barcelona was extremely disappointing.

• Kylian Mbappe (€180.00m)

Kylian Mbappe had the world in awe following a stunning breakthrough at Monaco and in 2017, Paris Saint-Germain announced the signing of the forward on loan with a mandatory €180m purchase clause.

Mbappe's numbers for the Parisians were outstanding - 256 goals in 308 appearances in all competitions - before the Frenchman made his dream move to Real Madrid on a free transfer in 2024.

• Neymar (€222.00m)

The top two most expensive transfers of all time belong to Paris Saint-Germain as they attempted to assemble a star-studded front three that would fire them to UEFA Champions League glory.

The first major acquisition was Neymar Jr from Barcelona as they met his €222m release clause to lure him from Catalonia, although the Brazilian was unable to inspire the Parisians to their first continental success during a six-year stay with the club.

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