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]
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
editAll 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 1 September 2025
- 1 2 3 The player's buyout clause was activated in the transfer
- ↑ Initial €105 million plus €40 million in possible add-ons
- ↑ Initial €105 million plus €5 million in possible add-ons
- ↑ Initial €103 million plus €30.9 million in possible add-ons
- ↑ Initial €100 million plus €10 million in possible add-ons
- ↑ Initial €95 million plus €5 million in possible add-ons
Statistics
edit| Country | Player | Selling clubs | Purchasing clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
 England |
9 | 20 | 26 |
 France | 8 | 3 | 4 |
 Brazil |
6 | 0 | 0 |
 Belgium | 5 | 0 | 0 |
 Portugal |
4 | 4 | 0 |
 Netherlands |
3 | 1 | 0 |
 Argentina | 3 | 0 | 0 |
 Spain |
2 | 10 | 14 |
 Germany | 2 | 8 | 2 |
 Uruguay | 2 | 0 | 0 |
 Croatia | 1 | 0 | 0 |
 Ecuador | 1 | 0 | 0 |
 Sweden | 1 | 0 | 0 |
 Wales | 1 | 0 | 0 |
 Greece |
1 | 0 | 0 |
 Norway |
1 | 0 | 0 |
 Italy | 0 | 5 | 3 |
 Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Most expensive player by confederation
edit| Confederation | Player | From | To | Position | Fee (€ million) |
Fee (£ million) |
Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONMEBOL | Neymar |
Barcelona |
Paris Saint-Germain |
Forward | €222[a] | £200 | 2017 | [3][4] |
| UEFA | Kylian Mbappé |
Monaco |
Paris Saint-Germain |
Forward | €180 | £165.7 | 2018 | [6] |
| CAF |  Nicolas Pépé |
Lille |
Arsenal |
Forward | €80 | £72 | 2019 | [7] |
| CONCACAF |  Christian Pulisic |
Borussia Dortmund |
Chelsea |
Midfielder | €64 | £57.6 | 2019 | [8] |
| AFC |  Kim Min-jae |
Napoli |
Bayern Munich |
Defender | €50[a] | £43 | 2023 | [9] |
| OFC |  Chris Wood |
Burnley |
Newcastle United |
Forward | €29 | £25 | 2022 | [10] |
- 1 2 The player's buyout clause was activated in the transfer
Kylian Mbappé, the most expensive European player (UEFA)
Nicolas Pépé, the most expensive African player (CAF)
Christian Pulisic, the most expensive North American player (CONCACAF)
Kim Min-jae, the most expensive Asian player (AFC)
Chris Wood, the most expensive Oceania player (OFC)
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World football transfer record
editThe 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.[11][12] 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.[13][14] 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.[12]
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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,[14] 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.[12] In 1968, Pietro Anastasi became the first £500k player when Juventus purchased him from Varese,[14] which was followed seven years later with Giuseppe Savoldi becoming the first million pound player when he transferred from Bologna to Napoli.[12][14]
After Alf Common and David Jack, the third player to twice be transferred for world record fees is Diego Maradona.[12][14] 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,[14] three transfers broke the record,[12] all by Italian clubs: Jean-Pierre Papin transferred from Marseille to A.C. Milan, becoming the first ever £10m player.[14] 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,[16] 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,[17] 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.[12][14][18] In 1999 and 2000, Italian clubs returned to their record-breaking ways, with Christian Vieri transferring from Lazio to Inter Milan for £28m,[19] while Hernán Crespo's transfer from Parma to Lazio ensured he became the first player to cost more than £30m.[12][20] The transfer prompted the BBC to ask "has the world gone mad"?[21] It took two weeks for the record to be broken when Luís Figo made a controversial £37m move from Barcelona to rivals Real Madrid.[12][22] A year later, Real increased the record again with a signing of Zinedine Zidane for £48m (150 billion lire).[23]
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),[24] 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,[12][25] 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).[26][27] Documents leaked in 2016 by Football Leaks revealed that instalments brought the final Bale fee up to a total of €100,759,418.[12][28] In 2016, Manchester United eventually took the record away from Real Madrid, signing French midfielder Paul Pogba for €105m (£89m),[29] 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 four times, while Real Madrid has broken the record for the highest transfer fee paid for a player five times.
Historical progression
editThe transfer fees fluctuate due to exchange rate variations and are based on the exchange rate at the time of the transfer.
Number of record players by country
edit| Country | Player records | Record selling | Record buying |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 16 | 20 | 20 |
| Italy | 8 | 14 | 18 |
| Argentina | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| Brazil | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| France | 3 | 1 | 1 |
 Scotland | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Netherlands | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Wales | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Portugal | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Spain | 1 | 5 | 9 |
| Uruguay | 1 | 1 | 0 |
 Denmark | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sweden | 1 | 0 | 0 |
References
edit- ↑ 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.
- 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.
- 1 2 3 4 "Neymar: Paris St-Germain sign Barcelona forward for world record 222m euros". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- 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.
- ↑ Keogh, Emily (17 April 2025). "Arsenal sign Liverpool's Olivia Smith in world-record transfer". ESPN.
- ↑ "Kylian Mbappe: Paris St-Germain sign Monaco forward on loan". BBC Sport. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
- ↑ "Nicolas Pepe completes move to Arsenal from Lille for club-record £72m". Sky Sports. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ↑ "Pulisic joins Chelsea in £57.6m move". Sky Sports. 2 January 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ↑ "Kim Min-jae: Bayern sign South Korean defender from Napoli". BBC Sport. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ↑ "Newcastle transfer news: Chris Wood signs from Burnley in £25m deal to become second January arrival". Sky Sports. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ↑ Proud, Keith (18 August 2008). "The player with the Common touch". The Northern Echo. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "World record football transfer fees". BBC Sport. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ↑ "Arsenal honour Thierry Henry, Tony Adams & Herbert Chapman". BBC Sport. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Flanagan, Chris (4 September 2013). "How 13 other world record transfers panned out". Four Four Two. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ↑ Smyth, Rob (17 September 2016). "Ronaldo at 40: Il Fenomeno's legacy as greatest ever No9, despite dodgy knees". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ↑ Turnbull, Simon; Nixon, Alan (30 July 1996). "Shearer goes home for pounds 15m". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ↑ "Ronaldo signs up for Inter". The Independent. London. 21 June 1997. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ↑ Longmore, Andrew (7 June 1998). "Denilson The Menacing". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ↑ Whyte, Derrick (9 June 1999). "Inter's pounds 28m swap deal for Lazio's Vieri". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ↑ Agnew, Paddy (12 July 2000). "Crespo to join Lazio in record £36m transfer". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ↑ "When transfers go mad". BBC Sport. 12 July 2000. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ↑ "Figo's the Real deal". BBC Sport. 24 July 2000. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ↑ Ley, John (9 July 2001). "Zidane in £48m Real deal". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ↑ Wilson, Jeremy (7 June 2009). "Real Madrid to confirm world record £56m signing of Kaka". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ↑ "Ronaldo completes record Madrid switch". UEFA. 26 June 2009. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ↑ "Just how much did Bale's transfer to Real Madrid cost?". ITV. 21 January 2016. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ↑ Conn, David (31 August 2013). "Why Real Madrid think that even €100m for Gareth Bale is not silly money". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ↑ Percy, John (29 January 2016). "Gareth Bale contract leak sparks panic at Real Madrid". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ↑ "Paul Pogba: Manchester United re-sign France midfielder for world-record £89m". BBC Sport. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ↑ "Football player's transfer. Extraordinary terms". Staffordshire Sentinel. 30 June 1896. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
The Aston Villa had decided to give them £100 cash down and to play Small Heath a match on September 1st, probably at Perry Barr. They had guaranteed no less a sum that £250 from this, and Small Heath were also to have half any amount taken in excess of the guarantee. This would mean a gain to Small Heath of about £500. Wheldon was having £150 a year, and he (the chairman) understood his wages with Aston Villa would be considerably in advance of that amount
- ↑ "Daily Express". Record Transfer Fee. 17 October 1903.
- ↑ Simkin, John (September 1997). "Alf Common". Spartacus Educational. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ↑ Jo Bath, Richard F Stevenson. (2013). "The Newcastle Book of Days". p. 31. The History Press
- ↑ Taylor, Matthew (2005). The Leaguers: The Making of Professional Football in England, 1900–1939. Liverpool University Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-85323-639-9. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ↑ "A£2,000 Transfer". Derby Daily Telegraph. British Newspaper Archive. 6 January 1913. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ↑ "Important transfer". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. British Newspaper Archive. 14 March 1913. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ↑ Mortimer, Gavin (2012). A History of Football in 100 Objects. Profile Books. ISBN 978-1-84765-905-7. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ↑ Where Are They Now – David Jack. 22 September 2014. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- ↑ Charlie Buchan (2011). Charles Buchan: A Lifetime in Football. Random House. ISBN 978-1-84596-927-1. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ↑ Ferguson, Ed (13 December 2016). "When Falkirk broke the world transfer record". Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
- ↑ "Warney Cresswell". England Football Online. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Barnes, Stuart (2007). News of the World Football Annual 2007/2008. Invincible Press. ISBN 978-0-00-725555-9.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "The History of the World Transfer Record". BBC News. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ↑ "Factbox – Evolution of world record transfer deals since 1893" Archived 28 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Reuters. Retrieved 2 May 2014
- ↑ Hughes, Rob (30 July 1996). "Newcastle United Pays Record $23 Million for Sheare". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
- ↑ "Brazilian Denilson on Bolton trial". The Independent. 6 January 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
- ↑ Ash, Russell (2004). Top Ten of Everything 2005. Dorling Kindersley. p. 225.
- 1 2 3 4 "Real tipped to land Kaka for £56m". BBC Sport. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
- ↑ "Kaka completes Real Madrid switch". 9 June 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ↑ "Ronaldo agrees six-year Real deal". BBC Sport. 26 June 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
- ↑ "Gareth Bale joins Real Madrid from Spurs in £85m world record deal". BBC Sport. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ↑ "United Sign Pogba". Official Manchester United Website. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
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Transfers Expense Transfers Transfers Association football transfers