Every Premier League club’s record signing: Chelsea, Arsenal top list; Liverpool, Man Utd playing catch up

Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo and Paul Pogba

Caicedo and Rice became their clubs' record signings last summer, while Pogba is still Man Utd's

The Premier League remains one of the richest leagues in the world and English clubs continue to splash the cash on new signings.  

Remarkably, 15 of the 20 Premier League clubs from the 2024/25 season have broken their own transfer record in the last five years.

But spending a lot of money on one player doesn’t always guarantee success as the price tag can be a heavy weight on their shoulders.

We’ve taken a detailed look at every Premier League club’s most expensive signing of all time. Note: we’ve included potential add-ons in the total figures.

Arsenal – Declan Rice (£105m)

Arsenal fought off competition from Manchester City and Bayern Munich to sign Rice from West Ham United in a £105million deal in the summer of 2023.

“When the transfer was going through I was very nervous because of the price tag,” he admitted. “It’s natural to think about that. You’re a human being bought for £105m, it doesn’t feel very normal!

“But that was because of what I’d done at West Ham, what they valued me at. When I signed for Arsenal I just thought, ‘I just need to be Declan Rice’, be myself, don’t be any different, everything will go smoothly.”

The 25-year-old enjoyed an excellent debut season at the Emirates and cemented his status as one of the best midfielders in the world.

Aston Villa – Moussa Diaby (£51.9m)

Having worked with Diaby at Paris Saint-Germain, Villa manager Unai Emery sanctioned a £51.9million deal for the winger in the summer of 2023.

The France international netted 10 goals in his debut season at Villa Park and showcased glimpses of his incredible talent, but he’s produced a lot of inconsistent showings and is yet to justify that huge price tag.

Aston Villa's Moussa Diaby (left) celebrates

Aston Villa’s Moussa Diaby (left) celebrates

Bournemouth – Jefferson Lerma (£25m)

After impressing for Colombia at the 2018 World Cup, Lerma left Levante and joined Bournemouth for a fee in the region of £25million.

He spent five years with the Cherries and racked up 184 appearances in all competitions, but the club ended up making a significant loss on the midfielder when he left on a free transfer in 2023.

Brentford – Igor Thiago (£30m)

Thiago will make his Premier League debut in the 2024/25 season after Brentford agreed a £30million deal with Belgian side Club Brugge.

The 23-year-old striker won the Europa Conference League Young Player of the Season award in 2023/24 and looks set to fill the void left by Ivan Toney, who is expected to leave the Gtech Community Stadium.

Brighton – Yankuba Minteh (£33m)

Minteh usurped Joao Pedro as Brighton’s most expensive signing after joining the club from Newcastle United in a £33million deal.

The 19-year-old winger never made a first-team appearance for the Magpies but did enjoy a successful loan spell at Feyenoord in the 2023/24 campaign, registering 11 goals and six assists in 37 appearances in all competitions.

“Yankuba is a young talent that has attracted a lot of interest, so we’re delighted to welcome him to the club,” Brighton technical director David Weir said.

“He is an exciting attacking player with incredible speed. He had a very impressive campaign with Feyenoord, gaining experience in both the Champions League and Europa League.”

Chelsea – Moises Caiciedo (£115m)

Chelsea broke their own transfer record twice in the space of just six months in 2023, first by signing Enzo Fernandez in the January window and then by buying Caicedo in the summer.

The deal for the Ecuador international could reach £115million with add-ons, which would make him the most expensive signing in Premier League history.

He initially had a slow start to his career at Stamford Bridge, but the midfielder is now starting to replicate his Brighton form in a Chelsea start.

Crystal Palace – Christian Benteke (£32m)

Benteke swapped Liverpool for Crystal Palace in the summer of 2016 and enjoyed a successful debut season at Selhurst Park, netting 17 goals in all competitions.

But the striker failed to maintain that form, scoring just 20 goals over the following five seasons before joining MLS side DC United in 2022.

Everton – Gylfi Sigurdsson (£45m)

Sigurdsson joined Everton from Swansea in a £45million deal in 2017 and went on to make 156 appearances in all competitions, registering 31 goals and 25 assists.

But he was left out of their Premier League squad for the 2021/22 season and was then released following the expiration of his contract.

Fulham – Jean Michael Seri (£27m)

After winning promotion to the Premier League in 2018, Fulham reportedly fought off interest from Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea to sign Seri from Nice in a £27million deal.

The midfielder failed to live up to expectations at Craven Cottage and had loan spells at Galatasaray and Bordeaux before being allowed to leave on a free transfer in 2022.

Ipswich Town – Omari Hutchinson (£22.5m)

Hutchison enjoyed a brilliant loan spell at Ipswich Town in 2023/24 and his performance in the Championship helped the club reach the Premier League after a 22-year absence.

The Tractor Boys have now smashed their transfer record in order to make the move permanent, paying Chelsea an initial £20million and another £2.5million in potential add-ons.

Leicester City – Youri Tielemans (£40m)

Tielemans initially joined Leicester City on loan from Monaco in January 2019 and his move was made permanent in a club-record £40million deal in July of that year.

The Belgium international made 195 appearances for the Foxes and famously scored the winner against Chelsea in the 2021 FA Cup final, but he left the club on a free transfer in 2023.

Liverpool – Darwin Nunez (£85m)

Nunez left Benfica in the summer of 2022 and cost Liverpool an initial £64million, with add-ons taking the potential final price to £85million.

While the striker has a respectable return of 33 goals from his first two seasons at Anfield, he has also been guilty of missing some huge opportunities in front of goal.

“You are looking at it now and after two years, I don’t think there is going to be a massive improvement in him,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said.

“What we have seen in the last two years is what he is. He can cause trouble, he can be erratic with his finishing. I don’t think it is going to be enough to win you the biggest trophies so I think there is a big decision to be made on him in the summer.”

Manchester City – Jack Grealish (£100m)

Grealish bid an emotional farewell to boyhood club Aston Villa in the summer of 2021 and joined Manchester City in a £100million deal.

He has enjoyed a trophy-laden start to his City career, winning three successive Premier League titles, an FA Cup, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA World Club Cup.

But the England international played a bit-part role in the 2023/24 campaign and has lost his place in the team to Jeremy Doku.

Manchester United – Paul Pogba (£89.3m)

Pogba famously left United on a free transfer at the end of the 2011/12 season before developing into one of the best midfielders in the world at Juventus.

United swallowed their pride and forked out a then-world record transfer fee to bring him back to Old Trafford in the summer of 2016.

But his second spell at the club was plagued by injuries and inconsistent performances, and he joined Juventus on a free transfer once again in 2022.

Newcastle United – Alexander Isak (£63m)

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) have invested a lot of money in Newcastle United and they agreed to pay Real Sociedad an initial £58million for Isak, with a further £5million available in add-ons.

He helped the club finish in the top four in his debut season and then enjoyed a brilliant 2023/24 campaign, becoming the first Newcastle player to score 20 goals in a single Premier League season since Alan Shearer back in 2003/04.

His form has attracted interest from Arsenal and Chelsea but Newcastle have reportedly slapped a £150million price tag on the Sweden international.

Newcastle stars Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes

Nottingham Forest – Morgan Gibbs-White (£42.5m)

After securing promotion to the Premier League, Forest splashed the cash in the summer of 2022 and added 21 players to their squad.

The most expensive of those was the signing of Gibbs-White from Wolves, with the midfielder costing an initial £25million and another £17.5million in add-ons.

He has been Forest’s standout performer over the last two seasons and has helped the club preserve their Premier League status.

Southampton – Kamaldeen Sulemana (£24.6m)

The Saints forked out an initial £22million to sign Sulemana from Rennes in January 2023 and the deal could rise to £24.6million with add-ons.

The 22-year-old winger has shown flashes of talent but his end product has been really poor, registering just two goals and four assists in his first 18 months at the club.

Tottenham – Tanguy Ndombele (£63m)

After playing a key role in Lyon’s run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018/19, Ndombele joined Tottenham in a deal worth an initial £54million and another £9million in bonuses.

The France international failed to replicate that form in the Premier League and his fitness problems soon became apparent, prompting public criticism from Jose Mourinho.

He had loan spells at Lyon, Napoli and Galatasaray before Spurs decided to terminate his contract at the end of the 2023/24 season.

West Ham United – Lucas Paqueta (£51m)

West Ham broke their transfer record in 2022 in order to sign Paqueta from Lyon, paying an initial £36.5million and another £14.5million in add-ons.

The Brazil international helped the Hammers win the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022/23 and his impressive performances have attracted interest from Manchester City.

City reportedly planned to trigger his £85million release clause in the summer of 2024, but he’s now been charged by the FA for allegedly breaching betting rules.

Wolves – Matheus Cunha (£44m)

Wolves triggered a £44million obligation to buy Cunha in the summer of 2023, having initially signed him on loan from Atletico Madrid in January of that year.

The Brazil international enjoyed a really good first full season at Molineaux, registering 14 goals and eight assists in the 2023/24 campaign.

“He’s a really nice guy and on the pitch you can see his character,” Wolves captain Max Kilman said. “He’s been phenomenal and has really kicked on this season.”

READ MORE: Every Premier League player whose contract expired at the end of the 2023-24 season

Paul Pogba Declan Rice Moises Caicedo

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