There have been some eye-watering sums of money spent on players during the 2024/25 season, but who was its most expensive addition?
There were some high-profile pieces of business between summer 2024 and early 2025, with Kylian Mbappe moving to Real Madrid on a free transfer as the French superstar finally joined the team he had always dreamed of playing for.
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ByStephan GeorgiouFeb 3, 2025
But who were the most expensive signings of the 2024/25 campaign? Here are the top 14, who all moved for at least £50m.
Rank
Player
Signed for
Date
Fee
Julian Alvarez
Atletico Madrid
Aug 2024
Jhon Duran
Al-Nassr
Jan 2025
Dominic Solanke
Tottenham
Aug 2024
Omar Marmoush
Man City
Jan 2025
Joao Neves
PSG
Aug 2024
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
PSG
Jan 2025
Leny Yoro
Man Utd
Jul 2024
Pedro Neto
Chelsea
Aug 2024
Dani Olmo
Barcelona
Aug 2024
Manuel Ugarte
Man Utd
Aug 2024
Moussa Diaby
Al-Ittihad
Jul 2024
Amadou Onana
Aston Villa
Jul 2024
Michael Olise
Bayern Munich
Jul 2024
Nico Gonzalez
Man City
Feb 2025
14 Nico Gonzalez Porto to Man City (£50m)
Midfielder Nico Gonzalez was Manchester City’s fourth signing of the 2025 winter window, having also signed Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis for a combined £180m.
Gonzalez was perhaps more of a necessity for the Citizens given that Rodri had been ruled out for the season with an ACL injury. He made the move from Portuguese giants Porto for £50m to finally bring an end to City’s extravagant spending (at least, until the summer).
13 Michael Olise Crystal Palace to Bayern Munich (£50m)
Michael Olise was always a great player to watch during his Crystal Palace days, but with all due respect to the Eagles, it was clear that his talent merited playing for a top European club.
Bayern Munich came calling last summer, splashing out £50m on the Frenchman, and he has produced some brilliant moments in his maiden season at the Allianz Arena. He has six goals and assists apiece in the Bundesliga, as well as four goals in the Champions League, one of which was a superb solo effort against Shakhtar Donetsk.
12 Amadou Onana Everton to Aston Villa (£50m)
It was no great surprise to see Amadou Onana depart Everton for Aston Villa in last year’s summer transfer window, no doubt feeling that he needed to join a club playing in the Champions League rather than one battling to stay in the Premier League.
The Belgian has enjoyed a solid first season at Villa Park, starting 14 matches in the Premier League and chipping in with two goals in the competition. That said, Villa fans may want a little more from him as he attempts to justify the £50m fee the Villans paid for him.
11 Moussa Diaby Aston Villa to Al-Ittihad (£50m)
Having looked like a superb signing for Villa just over a year ago, Moussa Diaby’s time there petered out a little as the months passed, and he ended up joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad last summer.
They paid a reported £50m for his services, but only one goal has been scored in 10 league appearances this season, perhaps suggesting that Villa did well to get a healthy sum of money for the winger.
10 Manuel Ugarte PSG to Man Utd (£50.5m)
Manchester United sealed a mega-money deadline-day move for PSG midfielder Manuel Ugarte just a year after the Uruguayan joined the French giants from Sporting CP.
The Red Devils paid an initial £42.1m to bring the Ligue 1 champion to Old Trafford, with add-ons worth around £8.4m allowing PSG to break even following their outlay on Ugarte 12 months prior.
With Erik ten Hag departing the club just months later, it has not been the greatest of first campaigns for Ugarte, though all parties will be hoping he can show his best, particularly with his former club agreeing a sell-on fee in their negotiations.
9 Dani Olmo RB Leipzig to Barcelona (£51m)
Dani Olmo was one of the star players at Euro 2024, standing out with his attacking brilliance and helping inspire Spain to glory, alerting some of Europe’s top clubs in the process.
It was Barcelona who eventually acquired the signature of the 26-year-old, signing him for £51m from RB Leipzig, but it was a complex transfer not without its issues, as he was only registered for the first half of the season.
That problem has now been overcome, with Olmo granted permission to continue representing the Catalan giants amid rumours over his short-term future.
8 Pedro Neto Wolves to Chelsea (£54m)
Pedro Neto was always a great player to watch for Wolves, but injuries seemed to hold him back. Still, that didn’t stop Chelsea from taking a punt on him last summer.
So far, the Portuguese’s availability has been good, with 19 league appearances handed to him in his first half-season, but his only goal in the competition was a great long-range strike at home to Arsenal. More is needed to justify the £54m that the Blues spent on him.
7 Leny Yoro Lille to Man Utd (£58.9m)
Leny Yoro was arguably Manchester United’s most exciting signing of the summer considering he arrived with a reputation as one of the world’s leading young centre-backs.
However, it’s fair to say that it has been a sobering first season at Old Trafford for the Frenchman, with only four starts and nine appearances coming his way in the league my mid-January. That said, the defender is still only 19 and is playing in a mediocre team, so it would be unfair to judge him too much at this point.
United paid just over £52m upfront for the former Lille starlet, with add-ons taking the potential total transfer fee to £58.9m.
6 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Napoli to PSG (£59m)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been one of Europe’s most devastating wingers in recent years, and once the January window arrived, it became clear that a move away from Napoli was on the cards.
The 23-year-old was linked with various top clubs, including Liverpool, but he ended up joining PSG in January 2025 for £59m plus add-ons. While the specific financial details were not disclosed by either club, it is likely that these add-ons would take the overall transfer fee well past the £60m mark, if not more.
Having lit up Serie A as Napoli marched to Scudetto glory and with Georgia as they made their historic major tournament debut, Kvaratskhelia could become one of PSG’s key men post-Mbappe.
5 Joao Neves Benfica to PSG (£60m)
Joao Neves has been considered one of Europe’s leading young midfielders for a number of years, and it was always clear that Benfica were going to find it extremely hard to keep hold of him.
Paris Saint-Germain snapped up the Portuguese for an initial £50m prior to the start of the new season, with the price potentially rising to £60m including add-ons.
Neves hasn’t disappointed in France, proving to be a key figure in the middle of the park. The 20-year-old has registered seven assists in just 13 starts in Ligue 1, and it feels as though there are still plenty of further levels to find in his career.