600 million mark cracked
After a month of back and forth between Chelsea and Benfica Lisbon, the Blues see it as done on Deadline Day: Enzo Fernández (22) leaves Portugal’s league leaders at the last minute, according to the club’s announcement, for 121 million euros in the direction of London in tenth place in the Premier League and breaks several records. The medical check was carried out in Lisbon due to time constraints before the long-term contract was signed until 2031. The transfer fee must sea Fabrizio Romano be paid off in six installments, starting with 40 million euros.
The Blues’ transfer spending this season has risen to over EUR 600 million – for comparison: all Bundesliga clubs together invested EUR 555 million in 2022/23, just like all LaLiga clubs in total. Up until this winter, no club in the history of football had spent over €400m on transfers in one season. Chelsea are bringing new dimensions off the pitch with new owner Todd Boehly. So does Fernández, because never before has so much been paid for a midfielder.
With Zidane, De Bruyne & Pogba: The most expensive midfielders
news-slider" id="swiper-newsGalerie">
20 Jorginho | from Napoli to Chelsea | Transfer fee: €57 million
© imago images
Season 2018/19 (status: February 1, 2023)
19 Fred | from Shakhtar to Man United | Transfer fee: €59 million
© imago images
Saison 2018/19
15 Oscar | from Chelsea to Shanghai SIPG | Transfer fee: €60 million
© imago images
Saison 2016/17
15 Naby Keïta | from RB Leipzig to Liverpool | Transfer fee: €60 million
© imago images
Saison 2018/19
15 Tanguy Ndombele | from Lyon to Tottenham | Transfer fee: €60 million
© imago images
Saison 2019/20
15 Miralem Pjanic | from Juventus to Barça | Transfer fee: €60 million
© imago images
Saison 2020/21
14 Rodri | from Atlético Madrid to Man City | Transfer fee: €62.7 million
© Imago/TM
Saison 2019/20
13 Bruno Fernandes | from Sporting to Man United | Transfer fee: €63 million
© imago images
Saison 2019/20
12 Kaka | from AC Milan to Real Madrid | Transfer fee: €67 million
© TM/imago images
Saison 2009/10
11 Casemiro | from Real Madrid to Man United | Transfer fee: €70.7 million
© IMAGO
Saison 2022/23
10 Thomas Lemar | from Monaco to Atlético Madrid | Transfer fee: €72 million
© imago images
Saison 2018/19
9 James Rodríguez | from Monaco to Real Madrid | Transfer fee: €75 million
© Getty Images
Saison 2014/15
7 Kevin De Bruyne | from Wolfsburg to Man City | Transfer fee: €76 million
© Manchester City
Saison 2015/16
7 Arthur | from Barça to Juventus | Transfer fee: €76 million
© imago images
Saison 2019/20
6 Zinedine Zidane | from Juventus to Real Madrid | Transfer fee: €77.5 million
© imago images
Saison 2001/02
5 Kai Havertz | from Leverkusen to Chelsea | Transfer fee: €80 million
© imago images
Saison 2020/21
4 Aurélien Tchouameni | from Monaco to Real Madrid | Transfer fee: €80 million
© imago images
Saison 2022/23
3 Frenkie de Jong | from Ajax to Barca | Transfer fee: €86 million
© imago images
Saison 2019/20
2 Paul Pogba | from Juventus to Man United | Transfer fee: €105 million
© imago images
Saison 2016/17
1 Enzo Fernandez | from Benfica to Chelsea | Transfer fee: €121 million
© TM/IMAGO
Saison 2022/23
The fee paid for the world champion seems even more insane when you consider that Benfica bought him from training club River Plate on July 14, 2022 for just 14 million euros. The Argentines also secured a resale share of 25 percent, so the tills are ringing in Buenos Aires with 30 million euros. Fernandez is the most expensive signing in Premier League history after his transfer, the most expensive midfielder and the most expensive Argentine footballer ever. There were only five changes where more money flowed.
Despite the rain of money, this departure has a bitter aftertaste for Benfica, because they actually wanted to keep the Argentine until the summer in order to get the most out of the championship and Champions League. The search for a replacement for the midfielder is also no longer necessary on Deadline Day.
With Cancelo & Fernández: The biggest transfers on Deadline Day
news-slider" id="swiper-newsGalerie">
From Balanta to Cancelo: The biggest transfers on Deadline Day
© TM/IMAGO
In this gallery, arrivals and departures are taken into account and listed according to market value.
Eder Balanta | Club Brugge -> Schalke 04 | Market value: €2 million
© imago images
loan
Zidan Sertdemir | Leverkusen -> Nordsjaelland | Market value: €2 million
© imago images
fee unknown
Koray Günter | Hellas Verona -> Sampdoria | Market value: €4.5 million
© imago images
Loan with obligation to buy in case of relegation
Denis Suárez | Celta Vigo -> Espanyol | Market value: $5 million. €
© imago images
Rental fee: €200,000
Shon Weissman | Real Valladolid -> Granada | Market value: €5 million
© imago images
Rental with obligation to buy
Keylor Navas | PSG -> Nottingham | Market value: €5 million
© IMAGO
loan
Naouirou Ahamada | VfB Stuttgart -> Crystal Palace | Market value: €5.5 million
© IMAGO
Transfer fee: €12 million
Harry Souttar | Stoke City -> Leicester City | Market value: €6 million
© IMAGO
Transfer fee: €17 million
Haris Seferovic | Benfica -> Celta Vigo | Market value: €6 million
© IMAGO
loan
Philip Max | PSV Eindhoven -> Eintracht Frankfurt | Market value: €6 million
© imago images
Loan + obligation to buy over €2m
Selim Amallah | Standard Liège -> Real Valladolid | Market value: €6.5 million
© imago images
Transfer fee €1m + bonus €1m
Angelo Fulgini | Mainz 05 -> RC Lens | Market value: €9 million
© imago images
Loan + obligation to buy over €7.5 million
Thorgan Hazard | BVB -> PSV Eindhoven | Market value: €9 million
© imago images
loan
Florian Thauvin | Tigres UANL -> Udinese | Market value: €10 million
© imago images
free transfer
Marquinhos | Arsenal -> Norwich City | Market value: €10 million
© imago images
loan
Sofiane Boufal | Angers -> Al Rayyan SC | Market value: €10 million
© IMAGO
Transfer fee: €6 million
Diego Llorente | Leeds -> Roma | Market value: €12 million
© imago images
Loan fee €500,000, purchase option: €18 million
Sergi Canos | Brentford -> Olympiacos | Market value: €12 million
© imago images
loan
Antonin Barak | Hellas Verona -> Fiorentina | Market value: €12 million
© imago images
Purchase option drawn: €8.5 million
Saša Lukić | Turin -> Fulham | Market value: 13 Mio. €
© imago images
Transfer fee: €9.1 million
Djed Spence | Tottenham -> Rennes Stadium | Market value: €13 million
© IMAGO
loan
Bertrand Traore | Basaksehir -> Aston Villa | Marktwert: 14 Mio. €
© imago images
Loan canceled due to injury
Hector Bellerin | Barcelona -> Sporting | Marktwert: 15 Mio. €
© IMAGO
free transfer
Vitinha | Braga -> Marseille | Marktwert: 15 Mio. €
© IMAGO
Transfer fee: €32 million
Albert Sambi Lokonga | Arsenal -> Crystal Palace | Market value: €15 million
© IMAGO
loan
Ilya Zabarnyi | Dynamo Kiew – Bournemouth | Market value: $15 million. €
© IMAGO
Transfer fee: €22.7 million
Terem Moffi | Lorient -> Nice | Market value: €15 million
© IMAGO
Rental fee €2.5m + obligation to buy over €22.5m
Marcel Sabitzer | Bayern -> Man United | Market value: €20 million
© imago images
loan
Pedro Porro | Sporting -> Tottenham | Market value: €25 million
© IMAGO
Loan + obligation to buy over €45m
Jorginho | Chelsea -> Arsenal | Market value: €35 million
© IMAGO
Transfer fee: €14.8 million
Enzo Fernandez | Benfica – Chelsea | Market value: $55 million. €
© TM/IMAGO
Transfer fee: €121 million
João Cancelo | Man City -> Bavaria | Market value: €70 million
© imago images
€70m loan with option to buy
Chelsea’s unbelievable transfer offensive: 16 signings for over 600 million euros
At club level, the investments made by the US owners around club boss Boehly are unique. In the summer, together with coach Thomas Tuchel, eight new players were brought in, including Raheem Sterling (28), Kalidou Koulibaly (31) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (33) for EUR 282 million before Tuchel parted ways in September. Graham Potter was signed as a replacement for a fee of around EUR 17.5 million, and he now got eight more players for EUR 328.5 million in the winter.
2022/23
Alle Chelsea Transfers
To overview
Winter transfers such as Mykhaylo Mudryk (22), Benoît Badiashile (21), Noni Madueke (20) and Andrey Santos (18) were also given unusually long contracts until 2030 and 2031, respectively, in order to have the chance to transfer the transfer fees paid over a to write off for a longer period of time. A stylistic device that is often used in US sports and is criticized by many in Europe. “Financial fair play is starting to take a beating and that will limit the ability to sign players at any cost,” Boehly said in July 2022 (quoted via “ESPN“) shortly before the biggest shopping spree in football history.
Chelsea in a new dimension: Highest transfer spend in a season
news-slider" id="swiper-newsGalerie">
13 PSG | 2017/18 | Additions: 5 | Expenditure: 238 million euros
© imago images
Balance transfer: -140 million Euros
Status: 1 February 2023
12 United | 2022/23 | Additions: 6 | Expenditure: 243 million euros
© imago images
Balance transfer: -230 million Euros
11 Chelsea | 2020/21 | Additions: 7 | Expenditure: 247 million euros
© imago images
Balance transfer: -191 million Euros
10 Atlético Madrid | 2019/20 | Additions: 10 | Expenditure: 247 million euros
© imago images
Balance transfer: +62 million Euros
9 Real Madrid | 2009/10 | Additions: 8 | Expenditure: 259 million euros
© imago images
Balance transfer: -170 million Euros
8 Juventus | 2018/19 | Additions: 9 | Expenditure: 260 million euros
© imago images
Balance transfer: -147 million Euros
7 Chelsea | 2017/18 | Additions: 10 | Expenditure: 261 million euros
© imago images
Balance transfer: -66 million Euros
6 PSG | 2018/19 | Additions: 6 | Expenditure: 262 million euros
© imago images
Balance transfer: -148 million Euros
5 FC Barcelona | 2019/20 | Additions: 8 | Expenditure: 299 million euros
© imago images
Balance transfer: -146 million Euros
4 Man City | 2017/18 | Additions: 10 | Expenditure: 318 million euros
© imago images
Balance transfer: -226 million Euros
3 Real Madrid | 2019/20 | Additions: 9 | Expenditure: 356 million euros
© imago images
Balance transfer: -219 million Euros
2 FC Barcelona | 2017/18 | Additions: 7 | Expenditure: 380 million euros
© imago images
Balance transfer: -148 million Euros
1 Chelsea | 2022/23 | Additions: 16 | Expenditure: 611.5 million euros
© IMAGO
Transfer balance: -543.7 million euros | Plus about 17.5 million euros for coach Graham Potter
To home page
