- A look at the ten most expensive Premier League players of all time
- Virgil van Dijk joins the likes of Paul Pogba and Kevin De Bruyne
- Liverpool spent a club-record £75million on the Southampton defender
- READ MORE: How Liverpool beat Man City, Chelsea & Arsenal to record-breaking Van Dijk transfer
It may not surprise you to hear that Liverpool new-boy Virgil van Dijk is now among the most expensive Premier League players ever, but how high is he on the list?
The Southampton defender will officially seal a £75million transfer to the Reds on January 1st, with it already well-documented that he’ll become the most expensive defensive signing in history.
He also ranks pretty high in our all-time Premier League list, which features five transfers that went through in 2017 – which tells you all you need to know about how the market has exploded lately.
Anyway, without further ado, the ten most expensive Premier League players in history…
10) Kyle Walker – £45m
Signed from Tottenham this summer, Kyle Walker has looked a great purchase for Manchester City, even if a few baulked at his price tag at the time.
BBC Sport claim he cost an initial £45m, putting him 10th in our list of most expensive Premier League players ever.
9) Raheem Sterling – £49m
Another City player, BBC Sport list Raheem Sterling as costing £49m from Liverpool back in the summer of 2015.
The England international may not have made the most convincing start, but he’s now one of the club’s most important players with particularly impressive stats on winning goals this season.
8) Fernando Torrees – £50m
Back when £50m was a lot of money, Fernando Torres moved between Liverpool and Chelsea for that amount, according to BBC Sport.
The Spanish striker was world class at Liverpool but never really regained that form at Stamford Bridge, making him one of the most expensive flops in history.
7) Benjamin Mendy – £52m
A pretty surreal fee to pay for a left-back, but there you go, BBC Sport claim Benjamin Mendy cost Manchester City £52m this summer to sign from Monaco.
While the Frenchman is no doubt a fine player, City are yet to see a return on that investment due to the player’s struggles with injury since moving to the Etihad Stadium.
6) Kevin De Bruyne – £55m
City’s club-record signing, BBC Sport claim Kevin De Bruyne cost the Sky Blues £55m to bring in from Wolfsburg back in the summer of 2015.
The Belgian has arguably been a bargain, though, becoming one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe since then, particularly under the guidance of Pep Guardiola.
5) Angel Di Maria – £59.7m
Another expensive flop, Angel Di Maria may have lasted just one season at Manchester United, but he remains one of the most expensive Premier League players ever.
BBC Sport list his transfer fee as £59.7m, but that proved a big waste as things never really worked out for him in England. The Argentine winger is now at PSG, looking somewhere near his best again.
4) Alvaro Morata – £60m
Chelsea spent big on a Spanish striker again this summer, with BBC Sport reporting they paid Real Madrid a club-record £60m for Alvaro Morata.
Thankfully, this one’s worked out rather better than Torres, with Morata looking a decent replacement for the departing Diego Costa up front.
3) Virgil van Dijk – £75m
A world-record fee for a defender, Virgil van Dijk is up in third on the list of most expensive Premier League players ever, which does seem more than a little crazy.
The Dutchman is no doubt a superb player at his best, and fixes a problem position for Liverpool, but it’s hard not to view that as an absurd amount of money considering some of the players below him on this list.
Still, BBC Sport reported on the transfer yesterday, confirming his status as a record-breaker for a defender, and Liverpool fans won’t care too much about the fee if he can help them tighten up at the back.
2) Romelu Lukaku – £75m
Just above Van Dijk is Romelu Lukaku, who we’ve put in second due to the fact that BBC Sport have his £75m fee as just an initial fee.
The Belgium international has not been at his best for Manchester United lately, but after his record at Everton it’s easy to see why they paid so much for him and it wouldn’t be a big surprise if he got back to his prolific best soon.
1) Paul Pogba – £89m
And finally, top of the pile of our list of most expensive Premier League players ever is Manchester United star Paul Pogba.
BBC Sport claim he cost a then-world-record £89m from Juventus, which is certainly a lot for a player they actually let go for free as a youngster.
Still, Pogba has been top class since returning to the Red Devils and looks well worth his big fee in this current crazy market.
