25 Clubs That Have Spent Most Money in Football History

Club owners frequently “buy all of the things they never had” when they become billionaires in the football industry, as Bruno Mars memorably stated. This includes Liverpool, who in the summer of 2025 broke their club transfer record by acquiring Florian Wirtz, one of the most exciting players in German football.

United is among the top 10 football spenders in history, and they are paying the price for their bad hiring choices in previous years. Building on Arne Slot’s first season as manager and winning the title, their bitter rivals are now also rising up the rich list.

However, they are two of ten Premier League teams that are listed among the top 25 football clubs in terms of spending. Who occupies the top seat?

Among the five English clubs, Arsenal is 25-11.

In an attempt to win the Premier League for the first time since 2004, Arsenal has made a number of expensive acquisitions throughout the years. Thierry Henry, who cost a club-record £11 million at the time, was part of the Invincibles that Arsene Wenger had put together.

The Gunners will be hoping that their new acquisition, Viktor Gyokeres, can emulate their all-time leading scorer, Henry. The Swedish forward joined this summer in a £64 million deal, bringing the club’s total spending to £1.93 billion (€2.27 billion), good for 11th place.

After spending £1.90 billion (€2.24 billion), Serie A powerhouses AC Milan, in 12th place, join the North Londoners barely outside the top 10. Rafael Leao, who they signed for a fair price of about €35 million (£32 million), is the result of the brilliance that comes out of their youth system.

Joao Felix is still the fifth most expensive signing in world football, therefore his troubles at Atletico Madrid have been one of the biggest disappointments in the sport. At £1.78 billion (€2.09 billion), the Portuguese attacker cost £113 million, which is a major factor in their 13th-place rating.

After spending £1.66 billion (€1.95 billion), AS Roma is below them, and perhaps shockingly, Bayern Munich is not in the top 10. That may be because the Bavarians frequently invest in the Bundesliga, but Harry Kane’s 2023 £82 million transfer from Tottenham Hotspur brings the total expenditure to £1.53 billion (€1.80 billion).

Aurelio De Laurentiis, one of their enduring wheeler-dealers, is returning to Italy after Napoli spent £1.38 billion (€1.62 billion). Among them is Scott McTominay, a £25 million bargain acquisition from Manchester United.

The Biggest Spenders in Football History (11-16)

Rank:

Club:

Spending:

11.

The Arsenal

€2.27 billion

12.

Milan AC

€2.24 billion

13.

Real Madrid

€2.09 billion

14.

AS Roma

€1.95 billion

15.

The Bayern Munich

1.80 billion euros

16.

Napoli

€1.62 billion

Thanks to the richest club in the world, Newcastle United, West Ham United, and Aston Villa, they have three consecutive Premier League representations. Prior to their Saudi-led acquisition in 2021, the Magpies weren’t among the biggest spenders. With the infusion of cash, they have already reached £1.35 billion (€1.59 billion) on players like Anthony Elanga (£55 million) and Alexander Isak (£60 million).

Even though only five of their ten most costly acquisitions are still at the London Stadium, West Ham hasn’t been scared to make significant purchases in recent years. Sebastian Haller only played for the Hammers for two years, but they paid a club-record £45 million for him, bringing their total spending to £1.28 billion (€1.51 billion).

It has cost a lot of money to stay among England’s best, but Unai Emery has been successful in leading Villa into the Champions League. Despite selling Jack Grealish for £100 million, the Villans have spent £1.28 billion (€1.50 billion) on players like Amadou Onana (£50 million) and Ollie Watkins (£28 million).

The Premier League’s Everton is in 22nd place with £1.15 billion (€1.35 billion), Borussia Dortmund is in 21st place with £1.16 billion (€1.36 billion), and French team AS Monaco is in 20th place with £1.19 billion (€1.40 billion). But with the recent takeover by the Friedkin Group, that could increase.

After spending £1.05 billion (€1.23 billion), Lazio, who have declined in recent years, are now in 23rd place. Fiorentina is in 24th place with £1.02 billion (€1.20 billion), and Olympique Marseille of France is in 25th place with £969 million (€1.14 billion).

The Biggest Spenders in Football History (17–25)

Rank:

Club:

Spending:

17.

Newcastle United

€1.59 billion

18.

United West Ham

€1.51 billion

19.

Villa Aston

€1.50 billion

20.

Monaco AS

€1.40 billion

21.

Dortmund Borussia

€1.36 billion

22.

Everton

€1.35 billion

23.

Lazio

€1.23 billion

24.

The Fiorentina

€1.20 billion

25.

Marseille

€1.14 billion

10. Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur

Although supporters of Tottenham Hotspur complain that Daniel Levy owns the team, they cannot deny that the chairman has made significant expenditures. He has shown himself to be a great businessman, and their problems are not financial in nature but rather a perceived deterioration in athletic ability.

Over the years, Levy has demonstrated his financial integrity, most notably in the summer of 2024 when he invested a club-record £65 million on Dominic Solanke. His efforts in obtaining high prices for valuable items have contributed to the club’s financial expansion throughout their stadium relocation.

With a little higher expenditure of £1.98 billion (€2.33 billion), the North Londoners have surpassed their rivals, Arsenal. They have discovered treasures like Gareth Bale, who came in 2007 for £5 million and was sold to Real Madrid in September 2013 for a then-record £85.3 million.

Perhaps Spurs could have turned the tide in North London and been in a better position to contend for big awards if they had kept such talent.

9. The Premier League for Liverpool

After agreeing to a new contract, Virgil van Dijk assured Liverpool supporters that they could anticipate a “big” summer, and he wasn’t lying. Due to their incredible expenditure, which seems to be far from over, the defending Premier League winners, who were comparatively quiet last season, have risen to the top 10 of this list.

While Hugo Ekitike (originally £69m), Milos Kerkez (£40m), and Jeremie Frimpong (£30m) have thrilled the Kop supporters, Wirtz has become the Reds’ club-record acquisition. Additionally, it has increased their total spending to £2.13 billion (€2.51 billion), and if they are successful in acquiring Alexander Isak from Newcastle, who is valued at £150 million, that amount might rise.

8: Serie A Inter Milan

In the transfer market, Inter Milan rarely makes mistakes. Lately, they have acquired veteran players at affordable costs who have blended in perfectly with the Nerazzuri team. However, they are also willing to shell out a lot of money for elite players, as evidenced by the club-record £74 million they paid Manchester United for Romelu Lukaku in 2019.

Throughout their history, the Italians have invested a total of £2.21 billion (€2.60 billion), with more successes than failures because the majority have sold for greater prices. The fact that Nico Barella is the only member of their current roster included among their all-time most expensive players is indicative of their continued, albeit astute, foray into the market.

7: Ligue 1 Paris Saint-Germain

After years of squandering cash on superstar names instead of assembling a coherent Paris Saint-Germain team, Nasser Al-Khelaifi seems to have learnt his lesson. In the summer of 2017, the president of Paris spent a record-breaking £190 million for Neymar, one of several expensive gambles made prior to last year.

The French powerhouses have finally won the European championship thanks to Luis Enrique’s hiring and better recruitment strategies. However, they have paid a high price along the road, spending a total of £2.22 billion (€2.61 billion), which is probably going to go up much more than their Champions League revenues.

6: La Liga Barcelona

Due to their terrible financial standing following years of reckless spending, Barcelona was unable to afford a new deal for Lionel Messi in the summer of 2021. Antoine Griezmann’s (£108m) and Philippe Coutinho’s (£142m) agreements made Catalan President Joan Laporta appear dumb.

Robert Lewandowski (£42.5m) has led the Blaugrana to two La Liga titles, so that’s not to suggest they haven’t had success with their expenditure. They have paid a total of £2.39 billion (€2.81 billion), which is a significant amount considering that the majority of their elite talent is found at their esteemed La Masia academy.

5. La Liga Real Madrid

Real Madrid and Barcelona frequently clash in the struggle for Spanish dominance, and the two El Clasico adversaries assemble their teams in diametrically opposed ways. Florentino Perez is always pulling out his pocketbook to get the best players in the world to the Santiago Bernabeu, whereas the Catalans frequently rely on their junior academy.

With their first acquisitions of Luis Figo (£37 million), Zinedine Zidane (£46.6 million), Cristiano Ronaldo (£80 million), and Gareth Bale (£85.3 million), Madrid has shattered the world transfer record more than any other team. With a staggering £2.47 billion (€2.90 billion), Los Blancos have become the biggest spenders in Spanish football.

4. The Premier League for Manchester United

When Manchester United’s scouts discovered Sir Alex Ferguson potential in England and throughout Europe, the club’s expenditure was once unquestioned. However, rather of making required acquisitions, the Glazer family’s debt-ridden ownership in the post-Ferguson era has resulted in panic buying or excessive expenditure on commercial properties.

Among them is the £85 million that was paid for Antony in the summer of 2022, after the Brazilian was first reportedly rated at £25 million by their hiring staff. The Red Devils’ finances have been severely damaged by errors like that, which partially account for a £2.57 billion (€3.02 billion) spending.

3: Serie A team Juventus

Juventus has spent £2.70 billion (€3.18 billion) throughout its history, making them the most expensive club in Italian football history. This is partly due to their two most costly transactions. Initially, they paid Napoli £75.3 million for Gonzalo Higuain, who at the time was the most expensive South American player in the world.

However, the Old Lady wasn’t finished because two years later, they made a £99.2 million move to acquire Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid. They contributed significantly to the arrival of significant trophies at Allianz Stadium, but they also destroyed the finances of the Serie A powerhouses.

2. The Premier League’s Manchester City

Since the 2008 takeover of Manchester City by the Abu Dhabi United Group, when the Cityzens were smiling uncontrollably and dominating the Premier League title, the blue moon has really risen. Pep Guardiola has undoubtedly benefited from this at the Etihad, investing approximately £1.53-1.62 billion (€1.8-1.9 billion).

That helped City place second on the list and spend a total of £€3.26 billion, and for the most part, the money was wisely spent. There is a lot to love about their club-record £100 million acquisition of Jack Grealish, but their £54.5 million acquisition of Kevin De Bruyne was a huge triumph.

1: Chelsea

Premier League

When Chelsea spent an incredible £389 million in the summer of 2023, they broke the record for the most expensive transfer window ever. After watching players like Raheem Sterling (£47.5m), Mykhaylo Mudryk (originally £62m), and Joao Felix (£46.3m) fail, Todd Boehly and company took their time to get their hiring right.

The Blues brought Moises Caicedo (£115m) and Enzo Fernandez (£106m) to Stamford Bridge, breaking the British transfer record twice in as many months. Together with Cole Palmer, who was a remarkable £40 million acquisition, they are currently the mainstays of Enzo Maresca’s squad.

The club’s supporters are used to seeing West London’s elite pay exorbitant fees. An all-time world record of £3.55 billion (€4.18 billion) was set by Roman Abramovich and the current administration, who were nearly addicted to shattering transfer records.