As the English Premier League is one of the richest football leagues in the world because of its popularity and huge transfer contracts, the clubs also tend to build strong squads to fight for glory every season. Immense popularity, huge broadcasting and sponsorship deals and a huge fan base also attract the game’s biggest names to feature in the Premier League. And these big stars do not come cheap as the English clubs offer unbelievable amounts of money to lure them during the transfer windows.
The 2022 transfer window saw the Premier League spending more money than the other three important leagues combined. Players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Declan Rice made headlines due to the absurd amount of money attached to their transfers. Not only the big teams like Manchester United, City, Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal have been involved in the most expensive Premier League transfers, but also the likes of Newcastle United and Spurs broke the banks to acquire the big names. In this article, let’s take a look at the most expensive transfers in Premier League history.
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Most Expensive Transfers in Premier League History
10. Jadon Sancho (€73 million, Manchester United)
Jadon Sancho’s move from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester United took center stage when the amount of money offered to the player was revealed. The Red Devils continued their pursuit of the English forward for more than a year and finally managed to convince the German outfit to come to a middle ground regarding this talked-about deal which became one of the most expensive Premier League transfers in history. According to Sky Sports Football, United had to pay around €73 million to sign the youngster in 2021.
9. Harry Maguire (€76 million, Manchester United)
Manchester United splashed the cash to sign the then-in-form Leicester City defender Harry Maguire in 2019. The €76 million transfer deal made the former English captain the most expensive Premier League defender, breaking the record of Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk deal. He was later paired with the likes of Raphaël Varane and Lisandro Martínez at the back by the United manager Erik ten Hag.
8. Joško Gvardiol (€77.6 million, Manchester City)
Pep Guardiola needed a player who could be deployed anywhere at the backline based on the formation and requirements of the game. The Cityzens spent around €77.6 million to bring the talented Joško Gvardiol from RB Leipzig to make a statement in the 2023 Premier League transfer window. Thus, the Croatian became the most expensive defender in the English top flight.
7. Antony (€86 million, Manchester United)
Erik ten Hag made Antony a top priority in the summer window and Manchester United kept pushing for the deal till the final day. Despite Ajax making the transfer difficult, the Red Devils shelled out €86 million to secure Antony. Many were of the view that United signed the Brazilian winger in a hurry which later turned out to be a failure to some extent.
6. Paul Pogba (€89 million, Manchester United)
Manchester United brought back their former star Paul Pogba from Italy to control the disastrous midfield. The Red Devils offered a world record fee of €89 million to complete the deal for Pogba, who left Old Trafford in 2013 to join Juventus on a free deal. The Frenchman seemed to have performed better for the national team rather than delivering at the club level.
5. Romelu Lukaku (€97.5 million, Chelsea)
Romelu Lukaku is one of the most expensive players in the history of the English Premier League. The Belgian striker, after plying trade with Manchester United, Everton and Inter Milan, made a sensational return to England through one of the most expensive transfers of all time. Chelsea transferred €97.5 million to the Italian giants to secure the service of the forward in 2021. After spending just one season at Stamford Bridge, he was sent back to Inter on loan as he was wasteful in front of goals. In the recently concluded club season, he was seen playing for Roma as a loanee.
4. Moisés Caicedo (€100 million, Chelsea)
Chelsea have been the biggest spenders in the Premier League among the top five teams in the last four-five years. In order to reconstruct a squad for the future, they have been on a spending spree. Moisés Caicedo deal is one of the burning examples in this regard. The Blues spent €100 million to sign the young Brighton midfielder on an eight-year contract, making their presence known on the tally of the most expensive transfers in Premier League history.
3. Declan Rice (€105 million, Arsenal)
The English defensive midfielder came to the shores of the Emirates Stadium on a deal worth €105 million after rejecting Manchester City’s opening bid. He is the only Arsenal player on the list of the top 10 most expensive Premier League transfers. Declan Rice burst into the leagues of the elite players and Mikel Arteta did not hesitate to convince the Arsenal board to go after the player, who was also wanted by Man City.
2. Jack Grealish (€105.4 million, Manchester City)
Manchester City manager Pep set his sights on Jack Grealish and went all the way to land him as one of the most expensive transfers in the league. The Cityzens paid more than 100 million euros to complete the signing of the former Aston Villa attacker. It still remains the most expensive transfer of the club.
1. Enzo Fernández (€106.8 million, Chelsea)
Chelsea have spent almost one billion euros in recent years to shape their future. The most expensive signing of the Blues so far is Enzo Fernández, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2023 as the costliest player in the history of the Premier League. The 23-year-old became a sensational figure in the transfer market following a successful campaign at the Qatar World Cup 2022. The Blues had to trigger the release clause to go past the obstacles set by Benfica.
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