The Premier League transfer record could be broken in just a matter of days, as Liverpool put the finishing touches to a massive £116m deal for Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz.
The transfer window reopened on June 16 after a five-day closure for the beginning of the Club World Cup, and Arne Slot will hope to get a deal for the Germany international over the line as soon as possible as the Reds look to successfully retain their Premier League title next campaign.
This will not be the first time a Premier League club has spent massive money on a player from overseas, but the transfer of Florian Wirtz will likely become the highest fee ever paid by a British club.
We thought we would take a trip down memory lane and rate the current top 10 most expensive Premier League transfers, including all potential add-ons, with not every record-breaking signing ending up as a resounding success.
10) Harry Maguire – Leicester City to Manchester United, £80m (2019)
The tenth most expensive Premier League signing of all time, Manchester United signed Harry Maguire following his excellent campaign at the 2018 World Cup.
Still the world record transfer fee paid for a defender, the price was viewed as expensive at the time, but nobody could’ve predicted the way Maguire’s United career nosedived in the early 2020s.
Maguire has seen a minor resurgence over the past 18 months to remain at Old Trafford to this day. The fact this is not the worst move on this list is a sign of things to come.
Rating: 4/10
9) Darwin Nunez – Benfica to Liverpool, £85m (2022)
The fact that Premier League champions Liverpool are seriously considering cutting their losses on Darwin Nunez this summer reflects the fact that this move has not turned out as was intended.
Admittedly, the full add-ons included in the £85m package are highly unlikely to be paid if he is sold, but that does not take away from how much of an overpayment this move was.
Nunez has come up with a few important match-winning goals during his time at Anfield, but just 25 Premier League goals in three years for a club-record signing is not enough to merit his price tag.
Rating: 4/10
8) Antony – Ajax to Manchester United, £86.3m (2022)
Another big-money arrival in the Premier League in the same summer as Nunez, Brazilian winger Antony has been even less inspiring.
Just five league goals for United is laughable, but his form out on loan at Real Betis has shown that Antony does have talent, he was just in the wrong place to show it. But when United come knocking and are willing to hand over a big pay cheque, it is difficult for club or player to say no.
Rating: 2/10
7) Romelu Lukaku – Everton to Manchester United, £90m (2017)
Romelu Lukaku holds the world record for the highest accumulative transfer fees paid for one player and appears at seventh on this list for his move to United in 2017.
Reported as an initial £75m, the deal included £15m in “achievable” add-ons (whether he stayed at United long enough for them all to be achieved is another matter).
Lukaku struck 42 goals for the Red Devils in two seasons, including 28 in the Premier League, before United recouped nearly all their transfer fee in a £74m move to Inter Milan in 2019. This transfer wasn’t as bad as people remember.
Rating: 6/10
6) Paul Pogba – Juventus to Manchester United, £93m (2016)
A world-record transfer fee at the time, Paul Pogba signed for United for an initial £89m plus £4m in add-ons.
The oldest transfer on this list, it is difficult to imagine how much this move would cost now, since the transfer market was blown apart for good just a year later by Neymar’s €222m move from Barcelona to PSG.
One of the best midfielders in the world on his day during his time in Manchester, Pogba’s United career became sour in the end, but he certainly had his moments. He registered 39 goals and 51 assists in 233 appearances for the club, which is more contributions than anyone else on this list. He also won a World Cup as a Manchester United player.
Rating: 6/10
5) Romelu Lukaku – Inter Milan to Chelsea, £97.5m (2021)
If Lukaku’s first move on this list wasn’t as bad as people remember, this one certainly was. The Belgian did very well during his time at Inter Milan, but Chelsea made an impulsive move to bring him back to Stamford Bridge, where he had begun his Premier League career.
He scored eight Premier League goals in one solitary season before a series of loan spells back to Italy, and an eventual sale to Napoli for less than a third of the price paid by the Blues. This is not only one of the worst transfers on this list, but possibly one of the worst of all time.
Rating: 2/10
4) Jack Grealish – Aston Villa to Manchester City, £100m (2021)
Jack Grealish became the first Premier League signing to reach the £100m mark, and is surprisingly the only Manchester City player on this list – concrete proof of which Manchester club has done smarter transfer business over recent years.
Grealish has won everything there is to win at Man City, including three Premier League titles and the Treble in 2023, and has registered 40 goal contributions in 157 appearances. He is likely to leave this summer, though. Not quite value for money, but not a disaster.
Rating: 5/10
3) Declan Rice – West Ham United to Arsenal, £105m (2023)
Just pipping Grealish to the most expensive English player in Premier League history, Declan Rice was supposed to be the missing piece of the puzzle for Arsenal to see Mikel Arteta’s side get their hands on major silverware.
That hasn’t happened just yet, but Rice’s performances cannot be questioned. He arguably just had the best season of his career so far. This might be the only transfer on this entire list which has been value for money.
Rating: 8/10
2) Enzo Fernandez – Benfica to Chelsea, £106.8m (2023)
Unsurprisingly, the top two on this list were part of Todd Boehly’s chaotic early period after taking over at Chelsea.
Fresh from a starring role in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup win, Enzo Fernandez’s market value was at an all-time high in January 2023. His performances for Chelsea have been mixed, but certainly not disappointing, particularly last season. But he was never worth the money they paid for him.
Rating: 5/10
1) Moises Caicedo – Brighton & Hove Albion to Chelsea, £115m (2023)
Retaining top spot for now is Moises Caicedo, who joined Chelsea in August 2023 after the Blues famously hijacked a move to Liverpool.
A former Brighton player from humble backgrounds topping this list is an inspiring story, and Caicedo has shone at Stamford Bridge after a slow start. The price tag was certainly too high, but that was largely due to a bidding war.
As applies with Fernandez, this record-breaking transfer could yet become worth it if 23-year-old Caicedo goes on to win further major trophies at Chelsea.
Rating: 7/10