Jose Mourinho's 10 most expensive signings

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FT Desk

From Chelsea and Inter Milan to Manchester United and Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho has managed several European heavyweights.

And the self-proclaimed Special One has had a wealth of talent on hand when leading those clubs to football’s biggest prizes.

But out of all the star names Mourinho has coached, how many of them did he actually sign? And who were the most expensive?

With those questions in mind, FootballTransfers takes a look at the Portuguese's 10 most expensive signings.

10. Didier Drogba (Chelsea, €38.5m/£33.3m)

Mourinho famously moved heaven and earth to convince then-Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to sign Didier Drogba from Marseille in 2004.

And it paid off big time, for Drogba would go on to play a key role in the Blues winning seven trophies across Mourinho’s two spells in charge, including three Premier League titles.

9. Tammy Abraham (Roma - €41m/£35.4m)

Mourinho was responsible for taking a striker away from Chelsea this time, convincing Tammy Abraham to swap west London for Rome in 2021.

And in a debut season to remember, Abraham scored 27 goals as Mourinho's Roma lifted the UEFA Conference League in 2021-22.

8. Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Man Utd - €42m/£36.3m)

Hoping to lead Man Utd back to their former glory, Mourinho made Henrik Mkhitaryan one of several big-money signings in the summer of 2016.

And while they missed out on the Premier League title in 2016-17, the pair still won two trophies together: the UEFA Europa League and the League Cup.

7. Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea - €43.9m/£37.9m)

In a role reversal from the Drogba signing, it was Abramovich and not Mourinho who drove Chelsea’s acquisition of Andriy Shevchenko in 2006.

Arguably the world’s best striker at the time, Shevchenko was a shadow of his former self, however, scoring just four Premier League goals in 2006-07.

6. Nemanja Matic (Man Utd - €44.7m/£38.6m)

Looking to bolster United’s midfield ahead of the 2017-18 campaign, Mourinho turned to his former Chelsea charge Nemanja Matic.

However, the pair were unable to win silverware in 2017-18 as United finished second in the Premier League, while they were also beaten FA Cup finalists that season.

5. Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid - €55m/£47.1m)

After taking charge of Real in June 2026 - 13 years after ending his first spell with the La Liga giants - Mourinho was quick to improve his defensive ranks.

Just four days after Mourinho was reappointed at the Bernabeu, Los Blancos announced the signing of Spain defender Marc Cucurella from Chelsea.

4. Fred (Man Utd - €59m/£51m)

Despite being linked with a move to United’s arch rivals Manchester City, Fred ended up at Old Trafford instead of the Etihad Stadium in 2018.

However, Fred and Mourinho only worked together for six months after the latter was sacked in December of that year following a poor start to 2018-19.

3. Romelu Lukaku (Man Utd - €84.7m/£75m)

In the same summer that saw United sign Matic, Mourinho was also backed with the capture of Romelu Lukaku in July 2017.

And while United failed to win a trophy in 2017-18, Belgium forward Lukaku was in fine form in front of goal, scoring 27 times for his then-new club.

2. Paul Pogba (Man Utd - €105m/£90.8m)

Four years after leaving United for Juventus in 2012, Paul Pogba returned to the Theatre of Dreams for a then-world record fee in 2016.

However, the midfielder was unable to replicate his form from Italy in England, despite winning the Europa League and League Cup with United.

1. Yan Diomande (Real Madrid - €140m/£120m)

After being named Bundesliga Rookie of the Season for 2025-26, Yan Diomande was wanted by almost every member of Europe’s elite.

But it was Real who won the race for the rapid, two-footed winger, becoming Mourinho’s most expensive signing in the process.

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