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List of most expensive association football transfers

(Redirected from List of most expensive footballers)

The following is a list of most expensive association football transfers, which details the highest transfer fees ever paid for players, as well as transfers which set new world transfer records. The first confirmed record transfer was of Willie Groves from West Bromwich Albion to Aston Villa for ₤100 in 1893[1] (equivalent to £11,000 in 2025), made just eight years after the introduction of professionalism by the Football Association in 1885.[2]

Neymar, who completed the most expensive transfer ever

The current transfer record was set by the transfer of Neymar from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for €222 million (£200 million) in August 2017.[3][4] While the current record for women was set by the transfer of Olivia Smith from Liverpool to Arsenal for €1.157 million (£1 million) in July 2025.[5]

Highest transfer records in association football

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All selling clubs involved in transfers on this list are under UEFA's jurisdiction. Most players transfer to clubs from the Big Five Leagues, with half of them being Premier League clubs. Saudi Arabian clubs are the only purchasing clubs not under UEFA's jurisdiction. Overall, Manchester United has made the list nine times for player purchases, the most among all clubs.

Romelu Lukaku appears on this list three times for moves to Manchester United, Inter Milan, and Chelsea. Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo appear on the list twice. All of the players on the list are of European (UEFA), South American (CONMEBOL) or African (CAF) origin. There are currently no players on the list from the remaining regions; North America (CONCACAF), Asia (AFC) and Oceania (OFC). Ten French players have made their name on the list, the most among all countries.

Most transfer fees listed are not officially disclosed by the trading clubs and are reported by reliable mainstream media. Different media outlets may report varying transfer fees. The transfer fees are ranked in Euro (€) and based on the exchange rate at the time of the transfer.

As of 2 July 2026
  Fee broke the world record at the time of the transfer
  Fee broke the record for a teenager at the time of the transfer
  Fee broke the national league record at the time of the transfer
  Fee broke the record for a South American player at the time of the transfer
  Fee broke the record for an African player at the time of the transfer
  Fee broke the record for a goalkeeper at the time of the transfer
  Fee broke the record for a defender at the time of the transfer
Top 50 most expensive association football transfers
Rank Player From To Position Fee
(€ million)		 Fee
(₤ million)		 Year Ref.
1 Brazil Neymar (1) Spain Barcelona France Paris Saint-Germain Forward €222[a] £200 2017 [3]
2 France Kylian Mbappé France Monaco France Paris Saint-Germain Forward €180 £165.7 2017 [6]
3 Sweden Alexander Isak England Newcastle United England Liverpool Forward €144.5 £125[b] 2025 [7]
4 England Elliot Anderson England Nottingham Forest England Manchester City Midfielder €135.5 £116 2026 [8]
5 Portugal João Félix Portugal Benfica Spain Atlético Madrid Forward €126 £113 2019 [9]
6 Argentina Enzo Fernández Portugal Benfica England Chelsea Midfielder €121 £106.8 2023 [10]
7 France Antoine Griezmann Spain Atlético Madrid Spain Barcelona Forward €120[a] £107 2019 [11]
8 Brazil Philippe Coutinho England Liverpool Spain Barcelona Midfielder €118.4 £105[c] 2018 [12]
9 England Jack Grealish England Aston Villa England Manchester City Midfielder €117.7 £100 2021 [13]
10 Germany Florian Wirtz Germany Bayer Leverkusen England Liverpool Midfielder €117.5 £100[d] 2025 [14]
11 England Declan Rice England West Ham United England Arsenal Midfielder €116.5 £100[e] 2023 [15]
12 Ecuador Moisés Caicedo England Brighton & Hove Albion England Chelsea Midfielder €116.3 £100[f] 2023 [16]
13 Belgium Romelu Lukaku (3) Italy Inter Milan England Chelsea Forward €115 £97.5 2021 [17]
14 France Ousmane Dembélé Germany Borussia Dortmund Spain Barcelona Forward €105[g] £96.8 2017 [18]
France Paul Pogba Italy Juventus England Manchester United Midfielder €105[h] £89.3 2016 [19]
16 England Jude Bellingham Germany Borussia Dortmund Spain Real Madrid Midfielder €103[i] £88.5 2023 [20]
17 Belgium Eden Hazard England Chelsea Spain Real Madrid Forward €100 £89[j] 2019 [21]
Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo (2) Spain Real Madrid Italy Juventus Forward €100 £88.3 2018 [22]
England Harry Kane England Tottenham Hotspur Germany Bayern Munich Forward €100[k] £86.4 2023 [23]
Wales Gareth Bale England Tottenham Hotspur Spain Real Madrid Forward €100 £85.3 2013 [24]
21 Portugal Mateus Fernandes England West Ham United England Tottenham Hotspur Midfielder €99.3 £85 2026 [25]
22 Brazil Antony Netherlands Ajax England Manchester United Forward €95[l] £81.3 2022 [26]
23 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo (1) England Manchester United Spain Real Madrid Forward €94 £80 2009 [27]
24 Croatia Joško Gvardiol Germany RB Leipzig England Manchester City Defender €90 £77 2023 [28]
Brazil Neymar (2) France Paris Saint-Germain Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal Forward €90 £77.6 2023 [29]
Argentina Gonzalo Higuaín Italy Napoli Italy Juventus Forward €90[a] £75.3 2016 [30]
27 England Harry Maguire England Leicester City England Manchester United Defender €86.6 £80 2019 [31]
28 England Jadon Sancho Germany Borussia Dortmund England Manchester United Midfielder €85 £73[m] 2021 [32]
29 Belgium Romelu Lukaku (1) England Everton England Manchester United Forward €84.8 £75[n] 2017 [33]
30 Netherlands Virgil van Dijk England Southampton England Liverpool Defender €84.4 £75 2018 [34]
31 Uruguay Luis Suárez England Liverpool Spain Barcelona Forward €82.3 £65 2014 [35]
32 France Wesley Fofana England Leicester City England Chelsea Defender €80.9 £70[o] 2022 [36]
33 Belgium Romelu Lukaku (2) England Manchester United Italy Inter Milan Forward €80 £74 2019 [37]
Ivory Coast Nicolas Pépé France Lille England Arsenal Midfielder €80 £72 2019 [38]
Spain Kepa Arrizabalaga Spain Athletic Bilbao England Chelsea Goalkeeper €80[a] £71.6 2018 [39]
France Hugo Ekitike Germany Eintracht Frankfurt England Liverpool Forward €80 £69[p] 2025 [40]
France Aurélien Tchouaméni France Monaco Spain Real Madrid Midfielder €80[q] £68.3 2022 [41]
France Lucas Hernandez Spain Atlético Madrid Germany Bayern Munich Defender €80[a] £68 2019 [42]
Colombia James Rodríguez France Monaco Spain Real Madrid Midfielder €80 £63 2014 [43]
40 France Zinedine Zidane Italy Juventus Spain Real Madrid Midfielder €77.5 £46.2 2001 [44]
41 Colombia Jhon Durán England Aston Villa Saudi Arabia Al-Nassr Forward €77 £64.5[r] 2025 [45]
42 Slovenia Benjamin Šeško Germany RB Leipzig England Manchester United Forward €76.5[s] £66.3 2025 [46]
43 Belgium Kevin De Bruyne Germany VfL Wolfsburg England Manchester City Midfielder €75.7 £55 2015 [47]
44 Argentina Ángel Di María Spain Real Madrid England Manchester United Forward €75.6 £59.7 2014 [48]
45 Germany Kai Havertz England Chelsea England Arsenal Midfielder €75.3 £65 2023 [49]
46 Netherlands Matthijs de Ligt Netherlands Ajax Italy Juventus Defender €75[t] £67.8 2019 [50]
Netherlands Frenkie de Jong Netherlands Ajax Spain Barcelona Midfielder €75[u] £65 2019 [51]
Cameroon Bryan Mbeumo England Brentford England Manchester United Forward €75 £65[v] 2025 [52]
Germany Nick Woltemade Germany VfB Stuttgart England Newcastle United Forward €75[w] £64.9 2025 [53]
Nigeria Victor Osimhen Italy Napoli Turkey Galatasaray Forward €75 £64.8 2025 [54]
Argentina Julián Álvarez England Manchester City Spain Atlético Madrid Forward €75[x] £64.4 2024 [55]
France Randal Kolo Muani Germany Eintracht Frankfurt France Paris Saint-Germain Forward €75[y] £64.2 2023 [56]
Uruguay Darwin Núñez Portugal Benfica England Liverpool Forward €75 £64[z] 2022 [57]
Denmark Rasmus Højlund Italy Atalanta England Manchester United Forward €75 £64[aa] 2023 [58]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 The player's buyout clause was activated in the transfer
  2. ↑ Initial £125 million plus £5 million in possible add-ons
  3. ↑ Initial £105 million plus £37 million in possible add-ons
  4. ↑ Initial £100 million plus £16 million in possible add-ons
  5. ↑ Initial £100 million plus £5 million in possible add-ons
  6. ↑ Initial £100 million plus £15 million in possible add-ons
  7. ↑ Initial €105 million plus €40 million in possible add-ons
  8. ↑ Initial €105 million plus €5 million in possible add-ons
  9. ↑ Initial €103 million plus €30.9 million in possible add-ons
  10. ↑ Initial £89 million plus £60 million in possible add-ons
  11. ↑ Initial €100 million plus €10 million in possible add-ons
  12. ↑ Initial €95 million plus €5 million in possible add-ons
  13. ↑ Initial £73 million plus £5 million in possible add-ons
  14. ↑ Initial £75 million plus £15 million in possible add-ons
  15. ↑ Initial £70 million plus £5 million in possible add-ons
  16. ↑ Initial £69 million plus £10 million in possible add-ons
  17. ↑ Initial €80 million plus €20 million in possible add-ons
  18. ↑ Initial £64.5 million plus £6.5 million in possible add-ons
  19. ↑ Initial €76.5 million plus €8.5 million in possible add-ons
  20. ↑ Initial €75 million plus €10.5 million in possible add-ons
  21. ↑ Initial €75 million plus €11 million in possible add-ons
  22. ↑ Initial £65 million plus £6 million in possible add-ons
  23. ↑ Initial €75 million plus €5 million in possible add-ons
  24. ↑ Initial €75 million plus €20 million in possible add-ons
  25. ↑ Initial €75 million plus €15 million in possible add-ons
  26. ↑ Initial £64 million plus £21 million in possible add-ons
  27. ↑ Initial £64 million plus £8 million in possible add-ons

Statistics

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Country Player Selling clubs Purchasing clubs
France France1053
England England72128
Belgium Belgium500
Brazil Brazil400
Argentina Argentina400
Germany Germany3102
Netherlands Netherlands330
Portugal Portugal430
Colombia Colombia200
Uruguay Uruguay200
Spain Spain1614
Cameroon Cameroon100
Croatia Croatia100
Denmark Denmark100
Ecuador Ecuador100
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast100
Nigeria Nigeria100
Slovenia Slovenia100
Sweden Sweden100
Wales Wales100
Italy Italy064
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia002
Turkey Turkey001

Most expensive player by confederation

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Confederation Player From To Position Fee
(€ million)		 Fee
(£ million)		 Year Ref.
CONMEBOL Brazil Neymar Spain Barcelona France Paris Saint-Germain Forward €222[a] £200 2017 [3][4]
UEFA France Kylian Mbappé France Monaco France Paris Saint-Germain Forward €180 £165.7 2018 [6]
CAF Ivory Coast Nicolas Pépé France Lille England Arsenal Forward €80 £72 2019 [59]
CONCACAF United States Christian Pulisic Germany Borussia Dortmund England Chelsea Midfielder €64 £57.6 2019 [60]
AFC South Korea Kim Min-jae Italy Napoli Germany Bayern Munich Defender €50[a] £43 2023 [61]
OFC New Zealand Chris Wood England Burnley England Newcastle United Forward €29 £25 2022 [62]
  1. 1 2 The player's buyout clause was activated in the transfer

World football transfer record

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The first player to ever be transferred for a fee of over £100 was Scottish striker Willie Groves when he together with Jack Reynolds (£50) made the switch from West Bromwich Albion to Aston Villa in 1893,[2] eight years after the legalisation of professionalism in the sport. It took just another twelve years for the figure to become £1,000, when Sunderland striker Alf Common moved to Middlesbrough.[63][64] It was not until 1928 that the first five-figure transfer took place. David Jack of Bolton Wanderers was the subject of interest from Arsenal, and in order to negotiate the fee down, Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman got the Bolton representatives drunk.[65][66] Subsequently, David Jack was transferred for a world record fee when Arsenal paid £10,890 to Bolton for his services, after Bolton had asked for £13,000, which was double the previous record made when Sunderland signed Burnley's Bob Kelly a fee of for £6,500.[64]

Diego Maradona and Ronaldo (pictured) were twice transferred for world record fees.[67]

The first player from outside Great Britain to break the record was Bernabé Ferreyra, a player known as La Fiera for his powerful shot. His 1932 transfer from Tigre to River Plate cost £23k,[66] and the record would last for 17 years (the longest the record has lasted) until it was broken by Manchester United's sale of Johnny Morris to Derby County for £24k in March 1949. The record was broken seven further times between 1949 and 1961, when Luis Suárez Miramontes was sold by Barcelona to Inter Milan for £152k, becoming the first ever player sold for more than £100k.[64] In 1968, Pietro Anastasi became the first £500k player when Juventus purchased him from Varese,[66] which was followed seven years later with Giuseppe Savoldi becoming the first million pound player when he transferred from Bologna to Napoli.[64][66]

After Alf Common and David Jack, the third player to twice be transferred for world record fees is Diego Maradona.[64][66] His transfers from Boca Juniors to Barcelona for £3m, and then to Napoli for £5m, both broke the record in 1982 and 1984 respectively. In the space of 61 days in 1992,[66] three transfers broke the record,[64] all by Italian clubs: Jean-Pierre Papin transferred from Marseille to A.C. Milan, becoming the first ever £10m player.[66] Almost immediately, rivals Juventus topped that with the signing of Gianluca Vialli for a fee of £12m from Sampdoria. Milan then completed the signing of Gianluigi Lentini for a fee of £13m which stood as the record for three years.

The 1996 transfer of Alan Shearer from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United, for a fee of £15m,[68] kickstarted a year-by-year succession of record breaking transfers: Ronaldo moved the following year to Inter Milan from Barcelona for a fee of £17m,[69] which was followed in 1998 by the shock transfer of his fellow countryman Denílson from São Paulo to Real Betis for a fee of approximately £21m.[64][66][70] In 1999 and 2000, Italian clubs returned to their record-breaking ways, with Christian Vieri transferring from Lazio to Inter Milan for £28m,[71] while Hernán Crespo's transfer from Parma to Lazio ensured he became the first player to cost more than £30m.[64][72] The transfer prompted the BBC to ask "has the world gone mad"?[73] It took two weeks for the record to be broken when Luís Figo made a controversial £37m move from Barcelona to rivals Real Madrid.[64][74] A year later, Real increased the record again with a signing of Zinedine Zidane for £48m.[75]

Zidane's record stood for 8 years, the longest since the 1940s. Real Madrid continued with the Galácticos policy by buying Kaká from Milan for €67m (£56m),[76] which was the world record in pound sterling. However, both world record in euro and in pound sterling were broken by Real themselves when signing Cristiano Ronaldo for £80m (€94m) from Manchester United in the same transfer window,[64][77] Four years later Real Madrid broke the record again after completed the signing of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013. Although Real initially insisted that the transfer cost €91.59m, slightly less than the Ronaldo fee, the deal was widely reported to be around €100m (around £85.1m).[78][79] Documents leaked in 2016 by Football Leaks revealed that instalments brought the final Bale fee up to a total of €100,759,418.[64][80] In 2016, Manchester United eventually took the record away from Real Madrid, signing French midfielder Paul Pogba for €105m (£89m),[81] four years after having released him to Juventus for training compensation.

A year after the Pogba transfer, however, there was a major jump in the record fee. Paris Saint-Germain matched the €222m buyout fee of Barcelona's Neymar, converted to a reported £198m by different sources,[4] or £200m[3] more than double the previous record. This was the first time that the record fee was paid by a French club.

Overall, Barcelona has broken the record for the highest transfer fee received five times, while Real Madrid and Inter Milan have broken the record for the highest transfer fee paid for a player five times.

Historical progression

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The transfer fees fluctuate due to exchange rate variations and are based on the exchange rate at the time of the transfer.

Year Player From To Fee (£)
1893Scotland Willie GrovesEngland West Bromwich AlbionEngland Aston Villa100[2]
1896 England Fred Wheldon England Small Heath England Aston Villa 350-500[82]
1903 England Ben Green England Barnsley England Small Heath 500[83]
1904England Alf Common (1)England Sheffield UnitedEngland Sunderland520[84]
1904Scotland Andy McCombieEngland SunderlandEngland Newcastle United700[85]
1905England Alf Common (2)England SunderlandEngland Middlesbrough1,000[86]
1913England Daniel SheaEngland West Ham UnitedEngland Blackburn Rovers2,000[87]
1913England Tommy BarberEngland Bolton WanderersEngland Aston Villa2,000[88]
1914England Percy DawsonScotland Heart of MidlothianEngland Blackburn Rovers2,500[89]
1920England David Jack (1)England Plymouth ArgyleEngland Bolton Wanderers3,500[90]
1921Scotland Tom HamiltonScotland KilmarnockEngland Preston North End4,600[91]
1922England Syd PuddefootEngland West Ham UnitedScotland Falkirk5,000[92]
1922England Warney CresswellEngland South ShieldsEngland Sunderland5,500[93]
1925England Bob KellyEngland BurnleyEngland Sunderland6,500[94]
1928England David Jack (2)England Bolton WanderersEngland Arsenal10,890[95]
1932Argentina Bernabé FerreyraArgentina TigreArgentina River Plate23,000[95]
1949England Johnny MorrisEngland Manchester UnitedEngland Derby County24,000[94]
1949England Eddie QuigleyEngland Sheffield WednesdayEngland Preston North End26,500[94]
1950Wales Trevor FordEngland Aston VillaEngland Sunderland30,000[94]
1951England Jackie SewellEngland Notts CountyEngland Sheffield Wednesday34,500[94]
1952Sweden Hans JeppsonItaly AtalantaItaly Napoli52,000[95]
1954Uruguay Juan SchiaffinoUruguay PeñarolItaly Milan72,000[95]
1957Argentina Omar SivoriArgentina River PlateItaly Juventus93,000[95]
1961Spain Luis SuárezSpain BarcelonaItaly Inter Milan152,000[95]
1963Italy Angelo SormaniItaly MantovaItaly Roma250,000[95]
1967Denmark Harald NielsenItaly BolognaItaly Inter Milan300,000[96]
1968Italy Pietro AnastasiItaly VareseItaly Juventus500,000[95]
1973Netherlands Johan CruyffNetherlands AjaxSpain Barcelona922,000[95]
1975Italy Giuseppe SavoldiItaly BolognaItaly Napoli1,200,000[95]
1976Italy Paolo RossiItaly JuventusItaly Vicenza1,750,000[95]
1982Argentina Diego Maradona (1)Argentina Boca JuniorsSpain Barcelona3,000,000[95]
1984Argentina Diego Maradona (2)Spain BarcelonaItaly Napoli5,000,000[95]
1987Netherlands Ruud GullitNetherlands PSV EindhovenItaly Milan6,000,000[95]
1987Belgium Enzo ScifoBelgium AnderlechtItaly Inter Milan7,600,000[97]
1990Italy Roberto BaggioItaly FiorentinaItaly Juventus8,000,000[95]
1992France Jean-Pierre PapinFrance MarseilleItaly Milan10,000,000[95]
1992Italy Gianluca VialliItaly SampdoriaItaly Juventus12,000,000[95]
1992Italy Gianluigi LentiniItaly TorinoItaly Milan13,000,000[95]
1996Brazil Ronaldo (1)Netherlands PSV EindhovenSpain Barcelona13,200,000[95]
1996England Alan ShearerEngland Blackburn RoversEngland Newcastle United15,000,000[98]
1997Brazil Ronaldo (2)Spain BarcelonaItaly Inter Milan19,500,000[95]
1998Brazil DenílsonBrazil São PauloSpain Real Betis21,500,000[99][100]
1999Italy Christian VieriItaly LazioItaly Inter Milan32,000,000[101]
2000Argentina Hernán CrespoItaly ParmaItaly Lazio35,500,000[101]
2000Portugal Luís FigoSpain BarcelonaSpain Real Madrid37,000,000[101]
2001France Zinedine ZidaneItaly JuventusSpain Real Madrid46,600,000[101]
2009Brazil KakáItaly MilanSpain Real Madrid56,000,000[102]
2009Portugal Cristiano RonaldoEngland Manchester UnitedSpain Real Madrid80,000,000[103]
2013Wales Gareth BaleEngland Tottenham HotspurSpain Real Madrid86,000,000[104]
2016France Paul PogbaItaly JuventusEngland Manchester United89,000,000[105]
2017Brazil NeymarSpain BarcelonaFrance Paris Saint-Germain200,000,000[3][4]

Number of record players by country

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Country Player records Record selling Record buying
England England162020
Italy Italy81419
Argentina Argentina531
Brazil Brazil510
France France311
Scotland Scotland321
Netherlands Netherlands230
Wales Wales200
Portugal Portugal200
Spain Spain159
Belgium Belgium110
Uruguay Uruguay110
Denmark Denmark100
Sweden Sweden100

Managers

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While players are often purchased for high fees, the fee to release a manager from their contract is a lot less.[106][107][108] Usually described as a "compensation fee", the amount paid to the manager's current club is based around several factors including the total salary for the current length of his contract, as well as potential bonuses and sponsorship deals, and additional fees if the club also need to pay compensation to hire a new manager.[106]

The transfer fees fluctuate due to exchange rate variations and are based on the exchange rate at the time of the transfer.

Rank Manager From To Transfer fee Year Ref.
€ million £ million
1 Germany Julian Nagelsmann Germany RB Leipzig Germany Bayern Munich €25 £21.7 2021 [109]
2 England Graham Potter England Brighton & Hove Albion England Chelsea €23 £20 2022 [110]
3 Italy Enzo Maresca (1) England Chelsea England Manchester City €19.7 £17 2026 [111]
4 Portugal André Villas-Boas Portugal Porto England Chelsea €15 £13.3 2011 [112][113]
Portugal Jose Mourinho Portugal Benfica Spain Real Madrid €15 £12.9 2026 [114]
6 Belgium Vincent Kompany England Burnley Germany Bayern Munich €12 £10.2 2024 [115]
7 Denmark Thomas Frank England Brentford England Tottenham Hotspur €11.88 £10 2025 [116]
8 Italy Enzo Maresca (2) England Leicester City England Chelsea €11.75 £10 2024 [117]
9 Portugal Ruben Amorim Portugal Sporting CP England Manchester United €11 £9.25 2024 [118]
Netherlands Arne Slot Netherlands Feyenoord England Liverpool €11 £9.4 2024 [119]

Women

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This list only includes transfers where a fee amount is reported publicly. The transfer fees are ranked in Pound (£) and based on the exchange rate at the time of the transfer. Fees are in thousands.

As of 20 June 2026
  Fee broke the women's world football transfer record at the time of the transfer
  Fee broke the national league record at the time of the transfer
  Fee broke the women's record for a South American player at the time of the transfer
  Fee broke the women's record for an Asian player at the time of the transfer
  Fee broke the women's record for an African player at the time of the transfer
  Fee broke the women's record for a North American player at the time of the transfer
  Fee broke the women's record for a European player at the time of the transfer
Rank Player From To Position Transfer fee Year Ref(s).
£ thousand € thousand $ thousand
1 France Grace Geyoro France Paris Saint-Germain England London City Lionesses Midfielder £1,430 €1,650 $1,923 2025 [120][121]
2 United States Alyssa Thompson United States Angel City England Chelsea Forward <£1,430 <€1,650 <$1,923 2025 [122][121]
3 Mexico Lizbeth Ovalle Mexico Tigres United States Orlando Pride Forward £1,111 €1,285 $1,500 2025 [123]
4 Canada Olivia Smith England Liverpool England Arsenal Forward £1,000 €1,160 $1,360 2025 [124]
5 United States Naomi Girma United States San Diego Wave England Chelsea Defender £883 €1,050 $1,100 2025 [125]
6 Brazil Tarciane United States Houston Dash France Lyon Defender £797 €960 $979 2025 [126][127]
7 Paraguay Claudia Martínez Paraguay Club Olimpia United States Washington Spirit Forward £703 €805 $950 2026 [128]
8 England Keira Walsh Spain Barcelona England Chelsea Midfielder £714 €850 $884 2025 [129]
9 Zambia Racheal Kundananji Spain Madrid CFF United States Bay FC Forward £685 €805 $862 2024 [130][131]
10 United States Sam Coffey United States Portland Thorns England Manchester City Midfielder £650 €750 $875 2026 [132][133]
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See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ↑ Barclay, Patrick (2014). The Life and Times of Herbert Chapman. Hachette. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-297-86851-4. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Glendenning, Barry; Murray, Scott; Bagchi, Rob; Steinberg, Jacob (30 August 2013). "The Joy of Six: record transfers". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Neymar: Paris St-Germain sign Barcelona forward for world record 222m euros". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Lowe, Sid; Laurens, Julien; Hunter, Andy (2 August 2017). "Neymar set to seal world-record move to PSG worth £450m in fees and wages". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  5. ↑ Keogh, Emily (17 April 2025). "Arsenal sign Liverpool's Olivia Smith in world-record transfer". ESPN.
  6. 1 2 "Kylian Mbappe: Paris St-Germain sign Monaco forward on loan". BBC Sport. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  7. ↑ "Isak joins Liverpool in £125m British record deal". BBC Sport. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  8. ↑ "Elliot Anderson to Man City: Midfielder's record-breaking £116m transfer from Nottingham Forest announced". Sky Sports. 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Joao Felix: Atletico Madrid sign forward from Benfica for £113m". BBC Sport. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  10. ↑ "Enzo Fernandez: Chelsea sign midfielder in £106.8m British-record transfer deal from Benfica". Sky Sports. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "Antoine Griezmann: Barcelona sign Atletico Madrid forward". BBC Sport. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  12. ↑ "Philippe Coutinho: Liverpool agree £142m deal with Barcelona for Brazil midfielder". BBC Sport. 6 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  13. ↑ "Jack Grealish: Man City sign England midfielder from Aston Villa for £100m". BBC Sport. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  14. ↑ Ornstein, David (13 June 2025). "Liverpool agree €136.3m transfer of Florian Wirtz from Leverkusen". The Athletic. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  15. ↑ "Declan Rice: Arsenal sign England midfielder from West Ham for £105m". BBC Sport. 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  16. ↑ "Moises Caicedo transfer news: Chelsea sign Brighton midfielder for £100m". BBC Sport. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  17. ↑ Romano, Fabrizio (12 August 2021). "Chelsea confirm Romelu Lukaku signing from Inter in €115m deal". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  18. ↑ "Ousmane Dembele: Barcelona agree £135.5m deal for Dortmund forward". BBC Sport. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  19. ↑ "Paul Pogba: Man Utd signing of Juventus midfielder subject of Fifa inquiry". BBC Sport. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  20. ↑ "Jude Bellingham: Real Madrid complete signing of England midfielder on six-year deal". BBC Sport. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  21. ↑ "Eden Hazard: Real Madrid sign Chelsea forward for fee that could exceed £150m". BBC Sport. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  22. ↑ Romano, Fabrizio (10 July 2018). "Cristiano Ronaldo joining Juventus in €100m deal from Real Madrid". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  23. ↑ "Harry Kane confirms Tottenham exit before Bayern Munich move". BBC Sport. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  24. ↑ "Spurs accept £85m Bale bid". BBC Sport. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  25. ↑ "Tottenham sign Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for club-record £85m fee". BBC Sport. 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  26. ↑ "Antony: Manchester United agree to sign Ajax winger for £81.3m". BBC. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  27. ↑ "Man Utd accept £80m Ronaldo bid". BBC Sport. 11 June 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  28. ↑ "Man City sign Croatia defender Gvardiol for £77m". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  29. ↑ "Neymar transfer news: Al-Hilal agree deal with Paris St-Germain for Brazil forward". BBC Sport. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  30. ↑ "Gonzalo Higuain: Argentina striker joins Juventus from Napoli". BBC Sport. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  31. ↑ "Harry Maguire: Man Utd sign Leicester defender for world record £80m". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  32. ↑ Romano, Fabrizio; Jackson, Jamie (1 July 2021). "Jadon Sancho set to join Manchester United after £73m deal agreed". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  33. ↑ "Romelu Lukaku: Man Utd sign Everton striker for initial £75m on five year deal". BBC Sport. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
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  106. 1 2 Brophy, Joe (30 March 2022). "MoneY's Worth: What is a transfer compensation fee, how is it worked out and what are the most expensive fees paid for a manager?". Talksport. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  107. ↑ "The 6 biggest fees paid for a manager: Potter 2nd, Mourinho 6th". Planet Football. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
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  109. ↑ Falk, Christian (27 April 2021). "Julian Nagelsmann leaving RB Leipzig to become Bayern Munich manager". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  110. ↑ Zeigler, Martyn; Toddy, Tom; Jacob, Gary; Lawton, Matt (9 September 2022). "Graham Potter: Chelsea paid record £22m fee to prise head coach from Brighton". The Times. Retrieved 26 October 2022. The compensation cost to Chelsea is understood to be £20 million for their new head coach Potter and a further £2 million for the five-strong backroom team that have gone with him.
  111. ↑ "Enzo Maresca signs three-year Man City deal after agreeing Chelsea compensation". BBC Sport. 29 June 2026. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  112. ↑ Wallace, Sam; Fleming, Mark (22 June 2011). "Chelsea close on Villas-Boas after paying Porto £13m". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  113. ↑ Doyle, Paul (22 June 2011). "Chelsea appoint former Porto coach André Villas-Boas on three-year deal". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  114. ↑ "Obrigado, José Mourinho!" (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 9 June 2026.
  115. ↑ "Vincent Kompany: Bayern Munich appoint Burnley boss as new head coach to replace Thomas Tuchel". Sky Sports. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  116. ↑ Law, Matt; Percy, John (9 June 2025). "Tottenham Hotspur close in on Thomas Frank as next head coach". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  117. ↑ Percy, John (28 May 2024). "Chelsea to appoint Enzo Maresca with Italian to target three key areas this summer". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  118. ↑ Garcia, Adriana (1 November 2024). "Rúben Amorim: Man United told me move was 'now or never'". ESPN FC. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  119. ↑ Pearce, James; Jones, Andy (20 May 2024). "Liverpool appoint Arne Slot as new head coach to replace Jurgen Klopp". The Athletic. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  120. ↑ "Mercato : la milieu du PSG Grace Geyoro à London City, c'est fait". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 5 September 2025.
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  122. ↑ Batte, Kathryn (4 September 2025). "Chelsea break club record for second time in eight months to sign Alyssa Thompson". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235.
  123. ↑ Valdez, Luizangel (19 August 2025). "La "Maga" Ovalle será el fichaje más caro del futbol femenino". La Verdad (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  124. ↑ Garry, Tom (10 July 2025). "Arsenal to break world-record fee by signing Liverpool's Olivia Smith for £1m". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
  125. ↑ Keogh, Emily (26 January 2025). "Naomi Girma: USWNT star completes record Chelsea transfer". ESPN. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  126. ↑ "Mercato : l'internationale brésilienne Tarciane s'engage à l'OL pour un montant record". L'Équipe (in French). 2 February 2025.
  127. ↑ "Lyon sign Dash, Brazil star Tarciane for record fee". ESPN. 2 February 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  128. ↑ Kassouf, Jeff (20 January 2026). "Washington Spirit sign Paraguay star teen Claudia Martínez - source". ESPN.
  129. ↑ Reguero, Leire (19 August 2025). "El Orlando Pride muy cerca de romper el mercado de fichajes por Lizbeth Ovalle". MARCA (in Spanish).
  130. ↑ Kassouf, Jeff (13 February 2024). "'I'm expecting to overcome challenges': Racheal Kundananji on her world-record move to Bay FC – Equalizer Soccer". Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  131. ↑ Griñán, Marta (13 February 2024). "¡Pelotazo del Madrid CFF con Kundananji, rumbo a EE UU!url=https://as.com/futbol/femenino/pelotazo-del-madrid-cff-con-kundananji-rumbo-a-ee-uu-n/". Diario AS (in Spanish). {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  132. ↑ Staff, J. W. S. (15 January 2026). "USWNT Star Sam Coffey Officially Signs with Manchester City". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  133. ↑ Feringa, Megan; Harpur, Charlotte; more (16 January 2026). "What we're hearing in women's football: Latest on Catarina Macario, Katie McCabe, Alexia Putellas, and more". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
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