The top 10 most expensive signings in Bundesliga history: Bayern Munich dominate

The Bundesliga’s most expensive signings are dominated by one club with the financial might of Bayern Munich relative to other German clubs laid bare.

Nine of the 11 most expensive signings in the Bundesliga have joined Bayern, showing the great imbalance in spending.

Every one of the top six was signed to the Bavarian powerhouse and as you would expect the list-topper is one of their recent marquee buys. But there are also two other German clubs represented in the top 10.

Here we take a look at the 10 most expensive incoming transfers in Bundesliga history.

=10. Javi Martinez to Bayern Munich (€40m – August 2012)

It is a testament to the lopsided nature of spending in the Bundesliga that a transfer from more than 10 years ago features in a top 10 list.

Martinez signed for Bayern in August of 2012, joining the club from Athletic Bilbao for a purported fee of €40m.

He would spend nearly nine years at the club before departing in 2012 to join Qatar SC for €5m. Martinez has recently been linked with a move to Barcelona in a non-playing role.

=10. Lois Openda to RB Leipzig (€40m – July 2023)

RB Leipzig have often been accused of using their apparent financial might to buy success, but this will be the only time they feature in this list.

Openda would cost RB Leipzig €40m when he joined the club from Lens in the summer of 2023.

The club should have been fairly happy with his first season in the Bundesliga as Openda netted 24 goals in 34 league appearances and also scored four Champions League goals.

9. Corentin Tolisso to Bayern Munich (€41.5m – July 2017)

Corentin Tolisso would spend five years at Bayern after joining from Olympique Lyon in 2017 and end up leaving the club on a free.

Bayern spent €41.5m to bring the French midfielder to the Allianz Arena but he wouldn’t make the impact they likely hoped for during his spell at the club.

He made 72 Bundesliga appearances in his time at Bayern Munich before returning to Lyon on a free in 2022

8. Dayot Upamecano to Bayern Munich (€42.5m – July 2021)

Dayot Upamecano might have been viewed as something of a bargain when he made the switch from RB Leipzig to Bayern in the summer of 2021.

Upamecano joined Bayern for €42.5m at a time when his market value was likely closer to €60m.

He has just about established himself as a regular for the team but his struggles with injuries have kept him from becoming Bayern’s lynchpin at the back. He remains at Bayern and is contracted until June 2026.

READ NEXT 👉 The 10 most expensive Premier League transfers of all time, featuring three Man Utd signings and Liverpool striker

7. Julian Draxler to Wolfsburg (€43m – August 2015)

Wolfsburg were compelled to go all in and break the bank to sign Julian Draxler from Schalke in 2015 when there were few young wingers in Germany rated more highly.

Draxler cost Wolfsburg €43m in 2015 and they would not entirely recover that fee when they sold him to Paris Saint-Germain just two years later.

He was always likely to be moved on quickly but Wolfsburg likely view the entire exchange as a bit of dead loss for them as a club.

6. Leroy Sane to Bayern Munich (€49m – July 2020)

Leroy Sane was another Bayern Munich ‘bargain’ as they sealed his return to Germany for just €49m with Manchester City out to make room in their squad for fresh blood.

Sane had been bubbling under greatness at Manchester City, although he scored 10 league goals in two consecutive seasons before a major injury in his fourth and final campaign in England.

Bayern wanted Sane and the player felt the same way. He has been a consistent performer in the Bundesliga without lighting anything on fire, even if he made an incredible start to his return spell in Germany.

September 🏅
October 🏅
November 🏅

For the third time in a row, @leroy_sane is your Player of the Month! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Gc2Q09IyBG

— 🇺🇸 FC Bayern US 🇨🇦 (@FCBayernUS) December 21, 2021

5. Kim Min-jae to Bayern Munich (€50m – July 2023)

In the space of two seasons, Kim Min-jae went from commanding a €3m fee to being a €50m player after going through the Fenerbahce and Napoli systems before arriving in Germany.

Kim impressed for Napoli in particular and became a Bayern target joining in the summer of 2023 as a player that was rated highly.

His first season in the Bundesliga was a middling effort for a Bayern team that misfired by their own high standards.

4. Michael Olise to Bayern Munich (€53m – July 2024)

Michael Olise had plenty of admirers in the Premier League after cementing his reputation with Crystal Palace, but ended up moving to Germany instead in the summer of 2024.

The winger linked up with Vincent Kompany as one of the first signings by Bayern’s new boss, with the club looking to rebuild after ending their streak of consecutive Bundesliga titles.

Bayern paid an initial €53m to prise Olise away from Palace, but the fee could rise to €59m with add-ons.

3. Matthijs de Ligt to Bayern Munich (€67m – July 2022)

Recently Bayern have focused quite a bit of spending on their pursuit of star centre-backs which they believe to be central to their success down the years.

Bayern coughed up €67m to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus in 2022 when he was just 22 and the jury remains out on whether this was a good move.

De Ligt was the target of several top clubs at the time and Bayern seemed all-too happy to pay the fee

2. Lucas Hernandez to Bayern Munich (€80m – July 2019)

Clubs are often willing to pay a premium to sign a quality left-back and few raised too many eyebrows when Bayern broke the Bundesliga record to bring in Atletico Madrid full-back Lucas Hernandez.

Bayern paid €80m for the Spaniard who would go on to form part of a team that won the Bundesliga title in all four of his seasons at the club.

Hernandez joined PSG in 2023 for a fee of around €45m but he was far from a flop at Bayern.

1. Harry Kane to Bayern Munich (€95m – August 2023)

Harry Kane ended months or some might say years of speculation about his future when he left Tottenham to join Bayern in the summer of 2023.

Bayern had to break the record they set in 2019 by €15m as they eventually secured Kane for €95m.

In his first season at the club, Kane continued his fine scoring record amid struggles at the Bundesliga superpower, winning the European Golden Shoe thanks to his 36 league goals.

However, for the first time in over a decade, Bayern failed to win the Bundesliga title during Kane’s debut season.

READ MORE 👉 Euro 2024: Six superstars in waiting whose transfer values could skyrocket in Germany