Revealed: Know your top 10 most expensive players in football history

The English defender joined Man United for a record fee of £80m for a defender from Leicester City in the current summer transfer window.
A move that saw him eclipsed the record £75m fee for a defender that Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk last season.

9. Romelu Lukaku

After Lukaku scoring 26 goals  the 2016-2017 season, Manchester United shelled out a reported 75million pounds (84.8million, $96.8million) for the Belgian striker. He rewarded the Red Devils for their investment right away, scoring seven goals in his first seven Premier League games.

8. Gonzalo Higuain

Scoring 36 goals in 35 league appearances, Gonzalo Higuain had a memorable 2015-2016 season at Napoli. Italy’s record champions Juventus were eager to sign the Argentinian striker, paying €90 million ($99 million) for his services. After two seasons in Turin, he moved to AC Milan on loan, a deal which could become permanent in 2019.

7. Gareth Bale

Welsh superstar Gareth Bale became the world’s most expensive player in 2013 after he transferred to Real Madrid for a fee of €100 million (then $132 million) after a six-year stint at Tottenham Hotspur. His move remains the most costly signing ever finalized by the Spanish club.

6. Paul Pogba

Three years after Bale’s mega-move, Paul Pogba dethroned the Welshman as the world’s most expensive player when he moved from Juventus to Manchester United for €105 million ($116.6 million). Pogba had come through the Red Devils’ youth setup before leaving on a free transfer.

5. Ousmane Dembele

Dembele was one of Dortmund’s most exciting and promising players, so much so that only after a year of playing in Germany, Barcelona came knocking for his services. The French forward transferred to Barca for €105 million ($123.9 million) with up to €42 million in bonus payments. The deal is the most expensive sale by a German club in football history.

3. Philippe Coutinho

Want to talk about profit? Liverpool purchased Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan in January 2013 for €13 million ($17.3 million at the time). Five years later, the English club sold the Brazilian playmaker for a reported €120 million ($145.2 million) fee, which could increase to €160 million with bonuses. A pretty good turnover, right?

2. Kylian Mbappe

Before he was a World Cup winner with France, Mbappe was a highly coveted teenage talent. After a bursting onto the season with Monaco in 2016-17, the French forward moved to Paris Saint-Germain for a total package worth €180 million (€214 million) — a €45 million loan for 2017-18 followed by a €135 million transfer.