Florian Wirtz to Liverpool: The most expensive transfers at every age, from 11 to 40

Florian Wirtz is about to make history; in a matter of days or weeks - depending on how long the formalities take - the Bayer Leverkusen man will move to Liverpool for an astronomical £127.6m.

In doing so, Wirtz will become the third-most expensive player of all time, set a new record for a transfer involving a British club, and also become the most expensive 22-year-old in the history of the game.

The latter category is particularly niche, but it got us thinking, and here, Sports Mole provides an exhaustive list of the most expensive transfers for every age, using figures from Transfermarkt.

* Exchange rates correct as of June 12, 2025

Under 12 - Rodri (£1.3m)

What were we doing at 11 years old? Certainly not moving to Atletico Madrid for £1.3m, which was exactly what Rodri did in 2007 - seems only fitting that the most expensive non-teenage player of all time went on to win the Ballon d'Or nearly two decades later.

13 - Arda Guler (£2.1m)

Moving up the age ranks, a 13-year-old Arda Guler commanded a £2.1m fee when he joined Fenerbahce from Genclerbirligi SK in February 2019, a sign of his immense potential ahead of a marquee move to Real Madrid.

14 - Sheyi Ojo (£2.1m)

Liverpool took an identical punt on a 14-year-old Sheyi Ojo in 2011, but the former MK Dons starlet failed to make the grade at Anfield and now represents Slovenian giants Maribor.

15 - Fran Merida (£2.7m)

When one thinks of a fledgling player switch from Barcelona to Arsenal, Cesc Fabregas will usually be the first name that springs to mind, but a 15-year-old Fran Merida made the same move for £2.7m.

Gooners will always remember the Spaniard's rocket against Liverpool in the EFL Cup, but he did not hit the heights expected of him and retired in 2024 aged 34.

16 - Pedri (£19.6m)

Still in the fledgling stages of his career, Pedri came with a £19.6m price tag when he joined Barcelona from Las Palmas, and La Blaugrana have got what they paid for - he is now regarded as one of the classiest midfielders in Europe.

17 - Jude Bellingham (£25.7m)

Before his brother Jobe Bellingham followed the same path, 17-year-old Jude Bellingham left Birmingham City for Borussia Dortmund for a whopping £25.7m in 2020, money extremely well spent by the German giants as they sold him to Real Madrid for a significant profit three years down the line.

18 - Leny Yoro (£52.8m)

Dethroning Endrick as the most expensive 18-year-old on the planet, Leny Yoro set Manchester United back £52.8m in 2024, and the Frenchman has shown glimpses of his promising potential so far.

19 - Kylian Mbappe (£153.2m)

A transfer and a talent that needs no introduction, £153.2m man Kylian Mbappe remains the second-most expensive player in the history of the game.

Paris Saint-Germain's mammoth outlay saw them rewarded with a club-record 256 goals from the World Cup winner, but only when he left did Les Parisiens finally conquer the Champions League.

20 - Ousmane Dembele (£114.9m)

Many of the clubs to pull off the above deals got what they paid for; Barcelona did not when they forked out £114.9m for a 20-year-old Ousmane Dembele, but the attacker has now entered Ballon d'Or territory since leaving for PSG.

21 - Moises Caicedo (£98.7m)

After memorably turning down Liverpool's advances, a 21-year-old Moises Caicedo cost Chelsea a staggering £98.7m, and the Ecuadorian started to justify his price tag in 2024-25 after a difficult opening campaign.

22 - Enzo Fernandez (£103m)

The second member of the £200m double pivot, Enzo Fernandez briefly became the Premier League's record arrival at age 22, although he will imminently be overtaken by Liverpool's shiny new toy.

23 - Paul Pogba (£89.4m)

A dealing that made Juventus' money men very happy indeed, Paul Pogba left Man United for free, returned for £89.4m and then left for free again - a penny for the Glazers' thoughts whenever his name is mentioned.

24 - Declan Rice (£99.2m)

"We got him half price" is a fair assessment of Declan Rice's tremendous time at Arsenal so far, even if the England international is yet to achieve Premier League or Champions League stardom at the Emirates.

25 - Neymar (£188.9m)

Neymar's unprecedented £188.9m move to PSG from Barcelona in 2017 is yet to be overtaken, but in this day and age of mega-money Saudi transfers, the first £200m transaction may not be that far away.

26 - Harry Maguire (£74m)

Harry Maguire's international exploits alone may be worth £74m - the Man United man very rarely lets England down - but ups and downs have been the theme of his turbulent Old Trafford career.

27 - Luis Suarez (£69.5m)

Arguably one of the bargain signings on this list, Luis Suarez cost Barcelona £69.5m to sign from Liverpool in 2014 and more than paid the Blaugrana back with 195 goals, one Champions League and four La Liga crowns.

28 - Eden Hazard (£102.8m)

The furthest thing from a bargain signing, Eden Hazard will forever be remembered for the wrong reasons by Real Madrid supporters, who witnessed the Belgian score just seven goals in 76 games after his £102.8m move from Chelsea in 2019.

29 - Zinedine Zidane (£66m)

Throwing it back to the naughties, Real Madrid had no qualms about paying £66m for Zinedine Zidane in 2001 - a fee almost unheard of at the time - and that spectacular volley in the 2001-02 Champions League final alone was worth the money.

30 - Harry Kane (£80.8m)

Harry Kane's yearning for a trophy ultimately trumped his love for Tottenham Hotspur, as he had already hit 30 without a single major club honour, but his curse was finally banished in the 2024-25 Bundesliga two years after his mega-money move to Bayern Munich.

31 - Neymar (£76.6m)

Hello again!

Very rarely can we say that a team made an enormous loss by selling a player for £76.6m. PSG did when they severed ties with Al-Hilal-bound Neymar in 2023, but garnering a fee of that size for a 31-year-old was a win in itself for Les Parisiens.

32 - Riyad Mahrez (£29.8m)

Having completed English football with Manchester City and won the miracle title with Leicester City, a 32-year-old Riyad Mahrez could not be knocked for following the money with Al-Ahli in 2023, and he continues to light up the wing in Saudi Arabia.

33 - Cristiano Ronaldo (£99.6m)

Selling a 33-year-old player for a profit? Only Cristiano Ronaldo could be at the centre of such a transaction, embarking on a new adventure with Juventus for just shy of £100m in 2018 after achieving everything there was to achieve at Real Madrid.

34 - Yann Sommer (£7.7m)

Briefly stepping into Manuel Neuer's shoes, Yann Sommer became the most expensive 34-year-old in the history of the game thanks to his cut-price £7.7m move to Bayern Munich in 2023, but he only spent half a year at the club before making a bigger name for himself with Inter Milan.

35 - Marko Arnautovic (£9.3m)

Speaking of Inter Milan, the Nerazzurri paid just under £10m for a 35-year-old Marko Arnautovic in 2024 following a previous loan spell, but they only got 14 goals out of him during his two seasons at San Siro.

36 - Cristiano Ronaldo (£14.5m)

The thought of seeing Ronaldo in sky blue was too much for Man United, who wrote Juventus a cheque worth £14.5m for the then-36-year-old in 2021.

Such an outlay was a shrewd move if a 24-goal first season was anything to go by, but little more needs to be said about his acrimonious departure a few months down the line.

37 - Jacques Songo'o (£5.5m)

Entering true veterans' territory, ex-Cameroon goalkeeper Jacques Songo'o was already 37 by the time he returned to Metz from Deportivo la Coruna for £5.5m in 2001, but he was back with the Spanish side two years later before hanging up his boots.

38 - Marko Simeunovic (£765k)

Cypriot side AEL Limassol signed a 37-year-old Marko Simeunovic for under £600,000 in 2005, and they subsequently sold the Slovenian goalkeeper to NK Interblock for over £750,000 in 2006. Genius work.

39 - Craig Brewster (£340.4k)

Scottish striker Craig Brewster had just turned 39 when he joined Dundee United from Inverness Caledonian Thistle for £340,400 in 2006, and he continued scoring well into his twilight years before retiring aged 43.

40 - Bogdan Stelea (£85.1k)

If Limassol selling a 38-year-old Simeunovic for a profit was impressive, how about this.

Romanian international goalkeeper Bogdan Stelea signed for Unirea Urziceni for £42.5k in 2006, spent two seasons at the club, and was then sold for double that to FC Brasov at age 40.

Written by
Ben Knapton