Neymar's EUR 222 million move to PSG is still the record, but six of the ten biggest transfer fees ever were paid in 2025 or 2026.
Quick answer: 1. Neymar - Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain (2017), 2. Kylian Mbappe - Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain (2017), 3. Enzo Fernandez - Chelsea to Manchester City (2026), 4. Alexander Isak - Newcastle United to Liverpool (2025), 5. Morgan Rogers - Aston Villa to Chelsea (2026), 6. Elliot Anderson - Nottingham Forest to Manchester City (2026), 7. Joao Felix - Benfica to Atletico Madrid (2019), 8. Yan Diomande - RB Leipzig to Real Madrid (2026), 9. Bradley Barcola - Paris Saint-Germain to Liverpool (2026), 10. Enzo Fernandez - Benfica to Chelsea (2023).
This list ranks the ten largest transfer fees in football history, in euros at the exchange rate on the day of each deal. At the top, nothing has changed since 2017. Neymar's EUR 222 million buyout from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain and Kylian Mbappe's EUR 180 million move from Monaco are still well clear of everything else. Below them, the list has been rewritten. The 2025 and 2026 transfer windows, driven mostly by Premier League clubs, produced six of the top ten fees, including two separate GBP 125 million deals that share the British record.
PSG paid Neymar's EUR 222 million release clause in full in August 2017, which more than doubled the previous world record. Nine years later, no fee has come within EUR 40 million of it.
PSG signed Mbappe weeks after Neymar. To manage Financial Fair Play rules, the deal was a loan in 2017 with an obligation to buy in 2018, worth EUR 180 million in total, a record for a teenager.
Manchester City paid GBP 125 million for Fernandez in September 2026, equalling the British record fee. He is the first player to be sold for more than GBP 100 million twice, and Chelsea made a profit on the fee it paid Benfica.
Liverpool paid GBP 125 million for Isak on deadline day in September 2025, setting the British transfer record. The Fernandez deal matched it a year later. The euro figure is slightly lower because of the exchange rate at the time.
At GBP 117 million, Rogers is the most expensive British player ever. He signed a seven-year contract at Chelsea after helping Villa win the Europa League, and his fee beat the record Elliot Anderson had set three weeks earlier.
City's GBP 116 million deal for the England midfielder briefly made Anderson the most expensive British player ever, and it set off the 2026 summer spending. He had been central to Forest's escape from relegation.
Atletico paid EUR 126 million for the 19-year-old Portuguese forward in 2019. It is still the largest fee ever received by a Portuguese club, ahead of the EUR 121 million Benfica got from Chelsea for Enzo Fernandez.
Real Madrid paid an initial EUR 125 million for the 19-year-old Ivorian winger, plus up to EUR 15 million in add-ons, and gave him a seven-year contract. He moved after a 12-goal Bundesliga season and a strong 2026 World Cup.
Liverpool paid a guaranteed EUR 125 million (GBP 106 million) for the France winger, with add-ons that could take the fee to about GBP 123 million. Only Isak has cost Liverpool more.
Fernandez's first big move, a British-record GBP 106.8 million in January 2023 just after he won the World Cup with Argentina. Selling him to City in 2026 made him the only player with two fees in the top ten.
| # | Name | From | To | Fee (GBP) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neymar - Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain (2017) | Barcelona | Paris Saint-Germain | 200m | 2017 |
| 2 | Kylian Mbappe - Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain (2017) | Monaco | Paris Saint-Germain | 165.7m | 2017 |
| 3 | Enzo Fernandez - Chelsea to Manchester City (2026) | Chelsea | Manchester City | 125m | 2026 |
| 4 | Alexander Isak - Newcastle United to Liverpool (2025) | Newcastle United | Liverpool | 125m | 2025 |
| 5 | Morgan Rogers - Aston Villa to Chelsea (2026) | Aston Villa | Chelsea | 117m | 2026 |
| 6 | Elliot Anderson - Nottingham Forest to Manchester City (2026) | Nottingham Forest | Manchester City | 116m | 2026 |
| 7 | Joao Felix - Benfica to Atletico Madrid (2019) | Benfica | Atletico Madrid | 113m | 2019 |
| 8 | Yan Diomande - RB Leipzig to Real Madrid (2026) | RB Leipzig | Real Madrid | 107m | 2026 |
| 9 | Bradley Barcola - Paris Saint-Germain to Liverpool (2026) | Paris Saint-Germain | Liverpool | 106m | 2026 |
| 10 | Enzo Fernandez - Benfica to Chelsea (2023) | Benfica | Chelsea | 106.8m | 2023 |
Transfers are ranked by the reported fee in euros, converted at the exchange rate on the date of each transfer, following the main table of Wikipedia's List of most expensive association football transfers (checked September 2026). Clubs rarely publish exact fees, so the figures are those reported by major media. Where a deal has a guaranteed fee plus conditional add-ons, the list uses the initial fee and mentions the add-ons in the blurb. Fees are not adjusted for inflation. Yan Diomande and Bradley Barcola are both listed at EUR 125 million. Diomande is placed first, following the source table's order. Mbappe's 2017 move began as a loan with an obligation to buy that became a permanent transfer in 2018; it is counted at its full fee. The 2026 figures were cross-checked against Sky Sports, ESPN and Al Jazeera reports on each deal.
Neymar's move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in August 2017, for EUR 222 million (about GBP 200 million), the amount of his release clause.
GBP 125 million, shared by two deals: Alexander Isak from Newcastle to Liverpool in September 2025, and Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea to Manchester City in September 2026. Morgan Rogers' GBP 117 million move to Chelsea is the record for a British player.
Clubs rarely disclose exact figures, deals are often split into a guaranteed fee plus conditional add-ons, and conversions between pounds and euros depend on the date. This list uses the initial fee in euros at the exchange rate on the transfer date.
No. They are nominal fees at the time of each deal, which is partly why recent transfers dominate the list.
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