List of the most expensive football transfers: The billion-dollar eleven

The striker moved from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2022 for the still-record fee of €222 million. He has since moved on, playing first for al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia) and now for FC Santos (Brazil).

The Frenchman moved within France from AS Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for €180 million. He now plays for Real Madrid. The fee, like almost all the others on this list, is estimated. Mbappé was initially loaned by Paris, but later an option to buy was activated, which was further increased by bonus payments. These arrangements are the norm, and transparent communication is rare.

The German is the new joint number three on the list. Wirtz is moving from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool FC this summer for a reported €135 million.

Coutinho also moved from Liverpool to Barcelona in 2018 for €135 million (€117.5 million plus bonuses). He then spent a spell on loan at Bayern Munich. He is currently still under contract with Aston Villa but is on loan to Vasco da Gama in Brazil.

The Frenchman moved from Borussia Dortmund to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2017. With a transfer fee of 135 million euros, he, along with Wirtz's transfer, is the most expensive transfer from the Bundesliga.

He moved from Benfica Lisbon to Atlético Madrid for €127 million in 2019. The Portuguese currently plays for Chelsea FC but is on loan to AC Milan.

The midfielder and world champion moved from Benfica Lisbon to Chelsea in 2023 for €121 million. Until Wirtz's transfer, he was the most expensive signing in the Premier League.

The attacking midfielder moved from Chelsea to Real Madrid for 121 million euros in 2019. He has since retired.

The striker moved from Atlético Madrid to FC Barcelona for €120 million in 2019. Two years later, he returned to Atlético.

The striker moved from Aston Villa to Manchester City in 2021 for 118 million euros.

The Portuguese moved from Real Madrid to Juventus Turin for 117 million euros in 2018. He currently plays for al-Nassr FC in Saudi Arabia.

Source: transfermarkt.de (totals partly estimated and added from base transfer fees and bonus payments).