In a world of abundance, football clubs, primarily in England, are spending more than ever to supposedly set themselves up for success.
The Premier League’s financial might continues to rear its worrying head whenever transfer season rolls around, with the division’s capacity to market itself effectively allowing it to steer clear of rival competition.
Those within it are only getting richer, and although measures are in place to limit spending power, loopholes exist, too. The list of the most expensive transfer windows overseen by a single club was once dominated by Europe’s glamourous elite, but that’s simply no longer the case.
The Premier Super League rules, and those that contributed most to the division’s record-breaking £3 billion ($4 billion) splurge in the summer of 2025, feature here.
10. Newcastle – Summer 2025 (£250 million)
Newcastle United were only the Premier League’s fourth-biggest spenders in the 2025 summer, yet their window ranks as the tenth most-expensive of all time.
It was a window of rejection on Tyneside, with Alexander Isak wanting out and seemingly everyone they wanted as a potential replacement seeking alternative opportunities.
However, the Magpies were eventually able to reinvest the Isak cash before the Swede’s move to Liverpool was confirmed. Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade and Brentford’s Yoane Wissa joined for a combined £124 million, with the former smashing the club’s transfer record.
Before that, Newcastle had prised away Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey from Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, respectively.
9. Chelsea – Summer 2022 (£254 million)
Todd Boehly and company were intent on making a mark during their first transfer window at the helm of Chelsea, and they certainly took the division aback with their willingness to commit large sums to underwhelming talent.
Perhaps that’s harsh. Marc Cucurella remains the club’s starting left-back, while Wesley Fofana is excellent but has been ravaged by injuries. The Blues sent £70 million Leicester’s way to acquire the Frenchman, but he’s racked up just 30 Premier League appearances since joining the club.
Raheem Sterling was on the way down by the time he arrived from Manchester City, while Kalidou Koulibaly was excellent in Italy but a bit of a car crash in west London. Modest fees for the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang took their summer spend up to £254 million.
8. Arsenal – Summer 2025 (£255 million)
The appointment of cold-blooded Italian director Andrea Berta to replace Edu Gaspar proved key in Arsenal’s busy 2025 summer.
The no-nonsense Berta was able to strike deals left, right and centre, with the Kroenkes committing to an unprecedented splash under their watch. They’ve got the manager, and this window was regarded as decisive in eventually helping Mikel Arteta’s side get over the hump.
Hitman Viktor Gyökeres was the missing piece, then Eberechi Eze was the final piece of the jigsaw. Those two were the priciest acquisitions, but they also spent hefty amounts on Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke.
Only time will tell whether it’s enough.
7. Chelsea – January 2023 (£278 million)
After spending more than £250 million the previous summer, Chelsea went out and dished out another £278 million on players a few months later.
The window is highlighted by the extortionate purchase of Enzo Fernández from Benfica, who set the club back a then-British record £106.8 million. All he could do was lose at the start of his Chelsea career, but the World Cup winner has evolved somewhat under Enzo Maresca, emerging as a semi-regular goalscorer.
A poorer investment has proven to be Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk, whom the club stole from Arsenal’s grasp for a fee that could’ve risen to £89 million had add-ons been met.
Mudryk looked raw from the outset and showed few signs of improvement before he was charged by the FA with doping offences that will likely cost him his career at Stamford Bridge.
6. Real Madrid – Summer 2019 (£279 million)
Real Madrid’s 2009 window, which set them back £233 million, is regarded as one of the all-time greats, with Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo among the high-profile additions.
Los Blancos hoped to replicate their stunner from a decade before in 2019, with Eden Hazard joining the club off the back of a scintillating career at Chelsea. The Belgian was the blockbuster addition, but he and the second-most expensive arrival, Luka Jović, both failed miserably in the Spanish capital. Hazard was cruelly set back by an ankle injury soon after joining the club.
Fortunately, the likes of Ferland Mendy, Éder Militão and Rodrygo have all enjoyed more fruitful careers at the Santiago Bernabéu.
5. Chelsea – Summer 2025 (£282 million)
Here they are again.
The Blues simply can’t help themselves in the market, with new owners BlueCo boasting an insatiable desire to player trade.
The summer of 2025 was another pricey one in west London, although the club did have their pockets fattened by a return to the Champions League and success at FIFA’s lucratively revamped Club World Cup.
Chelsea signed nine players permanently and added another on loan, with their total spend reaching £282 million, João Pedro, who’s hit the ground running right away, was the most expensive of the lot at £60 million.
Their remarkable ability to sell players on the periphery for inflated prices means their net spend is minute in comparison to the total outlay.
4. Paris Saint-Germain – Summer 2023 (£295 million)
The perennial French champions have been free-spending since Qatar joined the party, and their summer window in 2023 proved significant in their eventual Champions League success under Luis Enrique.
In truth, most of the club’s purchases were duds, including Randal Kolo Muani, Manuel Ugarte, Hugo Ekitiké and Lucas Hernández.
However, they also signed Ousmané Dembélé from Barcelona for £43.5 million, and the hot-and-cold wide man was the definitive figure in PSG’s European conquest. He’s the favourite to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or for a reason.
Lee Kang-in, Gonçalo Ramos and Bradley Barcola remain more than useful squad members in Paris.
3. Al Hilal – Summer 2023 (£298 million)
The Saudi Pro League started to emerge as a significant player in the European transfer market in 2023, soon after Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr.
The four state-owned clubs were responsible for their shape-shifting splurge, with Al Hilal, the division’s most successful club historically, spending almost £300 million.
They were able to prise away Premier League talent, such as Rúben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrovic, but financially committed the most to Malcom (£52 million) and Neymar (£77.6 million). The former quickly blossomed in the Middle East, but the latter endured a nightmare time due to injury setbacks.
The Brazilian superstar earned a shed-load while appearing just three times in the league, before returning to his homeland after two years in 2025.
2. Chelsea – Summer 2023 (£391 million)
After spending more than £500 million during their first year at the helm, BlueCo went for the jugular after appointing Mauricio Pochettino in the wake of a dire 2022–23 campaign.
12 players were brought in for a little less than £400 million, including Moisés Caicedo, as Chelsea committed to spending more than £100 million on a midfielder for the second consecutive window.
Other big-money arrivals proved less fruitful, such as Christopher Nkunku, while Roméo Lavia’s persistent fitness woes mean he’s yet to prove himself in west London. However, any transfer blunders were made up for by the £42.5 million purchase of Cole Palmer from Manchester City.
Palmer’s value has since quadrupled at the Bridge.
1. Liverpool – Summer 2025 (£415 million)
Liverpool have become the first club ever to spend more than £400 million in a single transfer window.
Many will wonder, in an age of profit and sustainability rules (PSR), how they were able to afford it, but the Reds have done plenty of saving, enjoyed record revenues, sold superbly and are able to amortise transfer fees.
The Reds twice broke the British transfer record, first signing Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen before finally landing Alexander Isak on Deadline Day. The Swede is now the third-most expensive footballer ever, as he signed from Newcastle for £130 million.
In between those deals, the Premier League champions struck a £79 million deal for Hugo Ekitiké and had previously signed Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 10 Most Expensive Transfer Windows Ever By a Club in Soccer History.