The 10 most expensive American players of all time

19 Oct 2023 12:05 BST
4 min read

Christian Pulisic is the most expensive United States footballer of all time thanks to his transfer to Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund for €64 million.

Pulisic made the move to the Premier League in 2019 but largely struggled for consistency - both in terms of form and fitness - at Stamford Bridge. He then left the club to join AC Milan in 2023.

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The second most expensive American soccer player in history is Brenden Aaronson, who moved to Leeds United from Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2022 for €32.8m.

READ: What are the most expensive transfers of all time? The 50 highest fees in history

Folarin Balogun confirmed his international allegiance to the United States in 2023 and therefore his €30m transfer to AS Monaco is included in third place on this list.

The forward spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Stade Reims and Arsenal took the opportunity to offload him for a decent fee the following summer.

The fourth most expensive USMNT player in history is Tyler Adams, courtesy of his €26.9m transfer from Leeds United to AFC Bournemouth in 2023.

The American had spent the season prior excelling at Elland Road and he stayed in the Premier League by joining Bournemouth after Leeds' relegation.

Sergino Dest is the fifth most expensive American soccer player ever due to his transfer to Barcelona in 2020. He left Ajax to move to Camp Nou for €21m.

Next on the list is Weston McKennie. He is the sixth most expensive United States international of all time after he moved from Schalke to Juventus for €20.5m in the 2020 summer transfer window.

McKennie was loaned to Leeds in January 2023, but returned to Turin just six months later following the Yorkshire side's relegation to the Championship.

Pulisic features again in seventh place on this list. The American star left Chelsea to join Milan for €20m in 2023 after his time at Stamford Bridge had run its course.

Yunus Musah also joined Milan for €20m in 2023 and therefore is included alongside his USMNT team-mate. Valencia were happy to offload the midfielder due to their financial problems.

© ProShots - Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Yunus Musah and Sergino Dest at the 2022 World Cup

Tyler Adams' €17m transfer from RB Leipzig to Leeds in 2022 means he is included yet again too. The American soccer star shone with the Premier League outfit, which convinced Bournemouth to sign him in the 2023 summer transfer window.

The top 10 list is completed by John Brooks, who joined Wolfsburg from Hertha Berlin for €17m in 2017.