Man Utd’s 10 most expensive transfers of all time

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 19 Jun 2025 15:37 BST
• 7 min read

News

Manchester United have heavily been criticised since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, however their investment on players has been immense during that time.

Man Utd have consistently been among the biggest spenders in the transfer market, bringing in world-famous stars on a yearly basis.

But unfortunately for the Red Devils, many of these high-profile signings have failed to produce the goods at Old Trafford.

Below, FootballTransfers lists Man Utd's 10 most expensive signings in history.

10. Bruno Fernandes - €65m (from Sporting CP, 2020)

Man Utd opted to splash €65m on Portuguese attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes during the 2020 January transfer window and it remains one of their finest ever pieces of transfer business.

Fernandes left Sporting having scored 63 goals in 137 appearances for the club and he was an instant hit at Old Trafford.

He was named as the club's new captain by Erik ten Hag in July 2023 after several years of immense performances and he has established himself as a world star, despite the Red Devils' on-field issues since his arrival.

Current ETV

Bruno Fernandes

AM, M (C)

Man Utd

Bruno Fernandes

AM, M (C)

Man Utd

€56.2M

ETV Range

€50.6M - €61.8M

View full profile

9. Casemiro - €70.7m (from Real Madrid, 2022)

Casemiro was called upon by Man Utd in August 2022 as the solution to their midfield woes, with Real Madrid finally relenting and allowing their star to leave in exchange for a handsome fee.

The Brazilian left Real Madrid after making 336 appearances for the club and winning 18 trophies during an illustrious career at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Casemiro immediately inspired Man Utd to a trophy - the League Cup - in an impressive debut season, but the Brazilian is beginning to show his age.

8. Matheus Cunha - €74.2m (from Wolves, 2025)

Man Utd made Matheus Cunha their first major signing of the 2025-26 season in the hopes of bouncing back from a disastrous campaign.

With the Red Devils finishing 15th in the Premier League and being one of the lowest scorers in the competition, manager Ruben Amorim was desperate to sign some proven fire-power, which led to his side activating Matheus Cunha's €74m release clause at Wolves.

Cunha grabbed 27 goals and 13 assists in his final two seasons for Wolves, indicating just why United were desperate to beat sides to his signature.

7. Angel Di Maria - €75m (from Real Madrid, 2014)

After reaching the World Cup final with Argentina and having spent several years at Real Madrid, Angel Di Maria was seen as a monumental signing for Man Utd in 2014, when he joined for a club-record fee.

With the famous No.7 on his back, Di Maria started well, with three goals and four assists in his first six games, including a gorgeous, impudent chip at Leicester.

But it very quickly went south with rumours of a rift behind the scenes. His wife would later label Manchester a “s***hole” as the pair turned to Paris after just 12 months in England.

6. Rasmus Hojlund - €77.8m (from Atalanta, 2023)

With many rivals spending big on attackers in the 2023 summer transfer window, Man Utd got in on the action by splashing out on Denmark youngster Rasmus Hojlund.

The Red Devils spent several weeks negotiating with Atalanta before agreeing a €77.8m fee for the young striker.

Hojlund scored nine goals during his one Serie A season at Atalanta, who sold the Dane for a 400% profit just 11 months after buying him from Sturm Graz.

5. Romelu Lukaku - €84.7m (from Everton, 2017)

Romelu Lukaku had a mixed time at Man Utd after joining the club for €84.7m from Everton.

The Belgian scored 16 and 12 goals in his two Premier League seasons at Old Trafford, respectively, before leaving and going on to greater heights at Inter.

All in all, Lukaku put together two relatively decent campaigns at Old Trafford and considering Man Utd sold him to Inter for €74m, he wasn't the colossal failure he is sometimes made out to be.

4. Jadon Sancho - €85m (from Borussia Dortmund, 2021)

Man Utd spent the best part of a year trying to sign Jadon Sancho before finally getting their man in the summer of 2021.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had been searching for a top-class right-winger for quite some time and was delighted to bring in a player who had developed into one of the most exciting players in Europe at Borussia Dortmund.

However, Sancho struggled during his first two seasons at Old Trafford before he was frozen out by Erik ten Hag in September 2023 following the pair's public feud. €85m wasted.

3. Harry Maguire - €87m (from Leicester City, 2019)

Just 18 months after Liverpool made Virgil van Dijk the most expensive defender in history, Man Utd broke that record by signing Harry Maguire from Leicester.

It took the Englishman half a season to become the permanent Man Utd captain, and despite initial concerns over the fee, he became one of the first names on Solskjaer’s team sheet.

However, he was stripped of the captaincy by Ten Hag ahead of the 2023-24 season after losing his place in the Man Utd starting XI to Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.

2. Antony - €95m (from Ajax, 2022)

Man Utd landed Antony on Transfer Deadline Day in the summer of 2022, in the biggest deal ever concluded on the final day of the summer transfer window.

He was a priority for Ten Hag throughout the summer but Man Utd's reticence to match Ajax's asking price meant that a transfer was slow to conclude.

Ultimately, the Red Devils ended up shelling out €95m in a deal that was widely seen as being too pricey for what they received. After a poor two-and-a-half year stint at Old Trafford, Antony joined Real Betis on loan in January 2025.

1. Paul Pogba - €105m (from Juventus, 2016)

Paul Pogba made his widely publicised return to Man United in the summer of 2016 for a world-record transfer fee at the time.

Another player that came under intense scrutiny, largely because of the money spent on him, Pogba frustrated fans with inconsistent performances.

Injury issues halted his impact on the side, but when fit and when performing at his best, Pogba remained one of the best midfielders in the world.

Nevertheless, he failed to live up to his price tag and left on a free transfer in the summer of 2022 to return to Juventus.

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