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The 10 players with the highest combined transfer fees: Neymar poised to rise…

Former stars of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea are among the top 10 footballers to have the highest accumulated transfer fees paid for them in their career.

Europe’s biggest clubs are willing to break the bank to sign highly-rated players and PSG smashed the world transfer record by signing Neymar in 2017.

We’ve looked at the 10 players with the highest cumulative transfer fees, with the figures taken from Transfermarkt. Note: all fees are in Euros.

10. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – €169.1m

Ajax, Juventus, Barcelona, AC Milan, Internazionale, PSG, Manchester United… it’s no surprise to see Ibrahimovic on this list.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic during the FIFA World Cup qualifier between Germany and Sweden at Olympiastadion, Berlin, October 2012.

READ: Ranking 12 of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s best goals in order of ridiculousness

 

9. Angel Di Maria – 179m

Di Maria joined Benfica from Rosario Central for €8million in 2007 and his impressive performances led to a €33million move to Real Madrid in 2010.

Manchester United broke the British transfer record to sign Di Maria in 2014, but he was allowed to leave the club for a substantial loss just a year after arriving.

The Argentina World Cup winner has rejoined Benfica this summer, following spells of varying success at PSG and Juventus. Good on him.

=7. Kylian Mbappe – 180m

Despite only making one transfer in his career, Mbappe still makes it into the top four.

He came through the ranks at Monaco and burst onto the scene in 2016-17 before agreeing to join PSG on a season-long loan deal.

They then made the move permanent for €180million, and the France international has justified that price tag, scoring 212 goals in 260 appearances at the time of writing.

Mbappe was rumoured to be on the move this summer, with Real Madrid hitching their skirts in his direction, but it appears likely that he’ll stay in France for another season.

=7. Antoine Griezmann – 180m

After coming through the ranks at Real Sociedad, Griezmann completed a €30million move to Atletico Madrid in 2014.

The France international then developed into one of the world’s best forwards under Diego Simeone’s guidance, scoring 133 goals in 257 appearances.

Barcelona activated his €120million buyout clause in 2019, but the 32-year-old struggled to replicate his Atletico form at the Camp Nou.

With Barca desperate to rectify their eye-watering debt, Griezmann was loaned back to Atletico in August 2021 with a €20million permanent deal agreed for the following summer.

6. Philippe Coutinho – 180.3m

Coutinho joined Liverpool from Inter Milan for just €13million in 2013 and was sold to Barcelona for a €122million profit five years later.

The Brazil international has failed to live up to expectations at the Camp Nou and the transfer was summed up when Coutinho scored two goals against Barcelona during his loan spell at Bayern Munich in 2019-20. 

He moved to Aston Villa, but has been largely sidelined by Unai Emery. We’re three-quarters expecting a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks.

5. Alvaro Morata – 189m

One of football’s great nomads, Morata has already completed four major transfers between some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

The striker came through the Real Madrid academy and was sold to Juventus for €20million in 2014, but the Spanish side exercised their buy-back clause two years later.

He then had an ill-fated stint at Chelsea before completing a €35million move back to Spain with Atletico Madrid in 2020.

The 30-year-old spent the 2020-21 season on loan at Juventus and the temporary deal was extended until June 2022. He’s now back in the Spanish capital and we wouldn’t rule out another lucrative move just yet.

4. Ousmane Dembele – €220m

Borussia Dortmund have an exceedingly great eye for young talent and signed Dembele from Rennes for just £13million in 2016.

After just a year in Germany, the winger joined Barcelona as a direct replacement for Neymar in a £135.5million deal, helping Dortmund to fund six brilliant transfers.

He has been plagued with injury problems over the last few years, while Barcelona reportedly had several concerns about his attitude off the pitch.

But Dembele played well enough to earn a contract extension in the summer of 2022, which eventually earnt the club €50million when he moved to PSG this summer.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo – €247m

Signed for just €19million from Sporting Lisbon by Manchester United, Ronaldo developed into one of the best players in the world at Old Trafford.

Real Madrid then brought the winger to Spain for €94million in 2009, and he proved to be excellent value for money, scoring 450 goals in 438 appearances in all competitions.

Having won two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues with Los Blancos, the 36-year-old completed a €117million move to Juventus in 2018.

Ronaldo then returned to Old Trafford – signing from Juventus for the small fee of €17million. His move to Saudi Arabia last December, after throwing the entire contents of Toys ‘R’ Us from his gilded pram, was for a nominal fee.

2. Neymar – €310m

After starring for Santos, Neymar joined Barcelona in a €88million deal in 2013 before forming part of a deadly attacking trio alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

PSG then signed the forward for a world-record fee of €22million in the summer of 2017, a move which sent shockwaves across Europe and caused Barcelona to plunge themselves into debt trying to replace him.

The 31-year-old is on the verge of moving to Al-Hilal around €90million, a move that will see him shoot back to the top of this list.

1. Romelu Lukaku – €333.6m

While Lukaku has often divided opinion during his career, he has an impressive goal-scoring record across his time as a professional.

The striker joined Chelsea from Anderlecht in an €15million deal in 2011 and was sold to Everton for a €20million profit in 2014.

Manchester United paid the Toffees €84.7million for his services in 2017 before shipping him off to Inter Milan two years later in a deal worth €74million.

The 30-year-old silenced his critics with 64 goals in 95 games for Inter and Chelsea agreed to pay €113million to bring him back to Stamford Bridge in 2021.

But the Belgium international soon burnt his bridges with poor performances and frequent outbursts and, after his Champions League final disasterclass for Internazionale, we expect Chelsea to cash in on the striker this summer.


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