- Mykhaylo Mudryk just joined Chelsea FC for colossal money
- The Premier League has seen record transfer fees paid for star players
- SportsLeo ranks the top record signings in the premier league
Chelsea finalized the acquisition of Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk last week, beating Arsenal to the prized winger. Mudryk is the most expensive January transfer in Premier League history and one of the most expensive signing in the league’s history.
We rank the most expensive signings by Premier League clubs.
Mykhaylo Mudryk – Chelsea (£88.5m)
Mykhaylo Mudryk’s move to Chelsea is the fifth most expensive deal in Premier League history, with the west Londoners sneaking in to steal the winger from Arsenal.
Arsenal was expected to sign Mudryk this month, but they were held up by Shakhtar’s demands, allowing their capital rivals to hijack the deal. Mudryk has piqued the interest of Europe’s top clubs following an outstanding season for the Ukrainian club in which he scored ten goals and provided eight assists in 18 appearances.
The 22-year-old put in a strong showing in the Champions League group stage and will add a direct style of play to Chelsea’s options in the final third. He signed an eight-and-a-half-year deal and was paraded at Stamford Bridge prior to Chelsea’s match with Palace.
Chelsea paid an initial €70 million (£62 million) for the winger, with a further €30 million (£26.5 million) in add-ons. Rinat Akhmetov, the president of Shakhtar, has since announced that £20.5 million of the money received will be donated to Ukrainian soldiers and their families as the country continues to deal with the consequences of war with Russia.
Romelu Lukaku – Manchester United (£90m)
Manchester United spent a lot of money on Romelu Lukaku in 2017, agreeing to a deal with Everton worth up to £90 million.
Lukaku had a prolific scoring record at Everton, where he scored 87 goals in 166 games, attracting interest from Old Trafford. The initial fee was £75 million, with the possibility of increasing to £90 million if certain conditions were met.
Upon his arrival, Jose Mourinho described the Belgian forward as a “natural fit for Manchester United,” and Lukaku had a productive debut season, scoring 27 goals in all competitions.
Lukaku started the following season with four goals in five appearances before falling out of favour after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed manager in December 2018. He started only 22 league games in 2018/19 and was allowed to leave the following summer, signing for Inter Milan in a £73 million deal.
He left after two seasons at Old Trafford, having scored 42 goals in 96 appearances.
Paul Pogba – Manchester United (£93m)
When Paul Pogba returned to Manchester United, he became the most expensive footballer in history, as the Red Devils broke the world transfer record by signing the midfielder from Juventus.
Pogba had only made seven senior appearances for United before leaving for Juventus in search of regular football. He played four seasons in Turin, winning four consecutive Serie A titles and being named to the Serie A Team of the Year three times.
United agreed to a fee of up to £93 million for the France international, surpassing the £86 million fee paid by Real Madrid for Gareth Bale in 2013. Pogba won the League Cup and the Europa League during his rookie season, scoring in the latter final against Ajax.
However, the midfielder struggled to produce his best on a consistent basis for United, failing to win further silverware across the following five seasons. After an impressive 2018/19 season, he was named to the PFA Team of the Year, but he only displayed flashes of his best levels for the club.
After six disappointing seasons, he returned to Juventus on a free transfer last summer.
Romelu Lukaku – Chelsea (£97.5m)
Following his club-record move to Chelsea, Romelu Lukaku appears on this list for the second time.Lukaku returned to Chelsea in a record-breaking £97.5 million deal in 2021 after two impressive seasons at Inter Milan. The Belgian spent time in west London as a teenager, but only made 15 goalless appearances before leaving in search of more significant opportunities.
He returned to Stamford Bridge amid much fanfare after goal-laden spells at Everton, Manchester United, and Inter Milan. After inspiring Inter to a record-breaking Scudetto the previous season, expectations were high.
Lukaku started the season well, scoring three goals in his first three league games, but he struggled to find his place in Thomas Tuchel’s system. A contentious interview with Italian media, in which he criticized his role and discussed a return to Inter Milan, did little to help his situation.
He finished the season with just eight Premier League goals, his lowest total in a decade. After a disappointing debut season, he was loaned back to Inter Milan for the 2022/23 season, where his fortunes have yet to improve significantly.
Jack Grealish – Manchester City (£100m)
Manchester City paid £100 million to Aston Villa for Jack Grealish, the biggest transfer in British football history.
Grealish agreed to terms with the Premier League champions after City exercised the release clause in his contract at Villa Park. After rising through the academy ranks at Villa, the England international had established himself as one of the Premier League’s most exciting winger, making 213 appearances and playing a pivotal role in the club’s promotion to the top flight.
He joined an already crowded attacking lineup at the Etihad and won the Premier League title in his first season. On the other hand, Grealish started only 22 league games and contributed only six goals in his debut season.
He has recently shown encouraging signs, with five-goal involvements in eight starts, and recently admitted that the transition from Villa to City was more difficult than he had anticipated.
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