10 most expensive Barcelona transfers of all time

Sports report

While Barcelona is renowned for promoting their academy graduates, they have also made a lot of big-money signings. The Spanish side have been criticized for their heavy spending in the transfer window and they are currently in financial turmoil. This article is taking a look at the 10 most expensive signings in Barcelona’s history and how those players subsequently fared after completing the move. These players include;

10. Ferran Torres – €55m
Torres became Xavi’s first signing at Barcelona in January 2022, joining from Manchester City in a deal worth an initial €55million plus another €7million in add-ons. The 23-year-old winger has shown glimpses of his undeniable talent but is yet to nail down a starting berth at Barcelona.

9. Raphinha – €58m
In the summer of 2022, Barcelona fought off competition from Chelsea and Arsenal to sign Raphinha in a deal that could reach €65million. The former Leeds United winger endured a slow start to life in Catalunya and initially struggled to usurp Ousmane Dembele.

8. Miralem Pjanic – €60m
More than a few eyebrows were raised when Barcelona agreed to pay Juventus €60million for a 30-year-old Pjanic in 2020. Arthur Melo moved in the opposite direction for €72million and the deals were probably designed to help both sides work around Financial Fair Play.

7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – €66m
Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Ibrahimović is renowned for his acrobatic strikes and volleys, powerful long-range shots, and excellent technique and ball control.

6. Frenkie de Jong – €75m
Frenkie de Jong is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona and the Netherlands national team.

5. Luis Suarez – €81.7m
Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Grêmio and the Uruguay national team. After winning the Premier League Golden Boot in 2013/14, Suarez left Liverpool and signed for Barcelona in a €81.7million deal.

4. Neymar – €86.2m
Barcelona fought off competition from Real Madrid and Chelsea to sign Neymar from Santos in the summer of 2013. While Barcelona initially claimed they paid €57million to sign him from the Brazilian club, it later emerged the transfer fee was €86.2million.

3. Ousmane Dembele – €105m
After selling Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, Barcelona identified Dembele as the ideal replacement and paid an initial €105million to secure his services. The deal for the former Borussia Dortmund winger also included €42million in potential add-ons, taking the overall package to €147million.

2. Antoine Griezmann – €120m
Having failed to sign Griezmann in 2018, Barcelona reignited their interest in the forward in 2019 and triggered the €120million release clause in his Atletico Madrid contract. But he struggled to replicate his Atletico form at Camp Nou, registering just 35 goals and 17 assists in 102 appearances for Barcelona.

1. Philippe Coutinho – €120m + add-ons
Barcelona broke their transfer record to sign Coutinho in January 2018, paying Liverpool an initial €120million and another €40million in potential add-ons. The attacking midfielder was seen as the heir to Andres Iniesta, but he failed to justify his enormous price tag and was ill-suited to Barcelona’s 4-3-3 formation.
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