Liverpool's 10 most expensive transfers of all time

Cameron Smith

• 5 Sep 2023 03:42 CDT
• 6 min read

After buying the club in late 2010, the Fenway Sports Group set about changing the fortunes of Liverpool for the better and reached into their deep pockets to do so.

They struggled to make an impression initially, but they've found success in recent times, winning the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League for the very first time in 2020.

READ MORE: Chelsea's 10 most expensive signings of all time

Who are Liverpool's top 10 most expensive signings?

Many of the players on this list helped guide the club to those famous wins, but which players are the 10 most expensive in Liverpool history?

10. Fabinho - £40.5m (from Monaco, 2018)

Patrolling the pitch and protecting the back four, Fabinho was a formidable defensive midfielder and was crucial in Klopp's rebuild of Liverpool.

He was recognised as one of the world's best defensive midfielders, and for £40m was a steal.

After five outstanding years he left for Al-Ittihad in the summer of 2023.

9. Christian Benteke - £41.8m (from Aston Villa, 2015)

Christian Benteke arrived at Anfield having scored 49 goals in three seasons at Aston Villa.

However, he spent just one season at Liverpool, scoring 10 goals, after starting just 14 league games, and was sold for £28m to Crystal Palace; a decent fee, but certainly a loss.

One memorable moment was his incredible acrobatic goal against Manchester United at Old Trafford, but overall, this move failed.

8. Luis Diaz - £50m (from Porto, 2022)

Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane provided many years of brilliant service for Liverpool.

However, as we moved into 2022 and all three players entered into or towards their thirties, it became apparent that Liverpool needed to find a new attacking superstar,

They hoped that player would be Porto winger Luis Diaz, who was signed in January 2022 for an initial fee of £37.5m, with potential add-ons of £12.5m.

The Colombian had emerged as one of Europe's most exciting attackers during two-and-a-half years in Portugal.

Despite a bright start to his career at Anfield, Diaz picked up a knee injury which ruled him out for seven months, hampering his progress and causing him to miss the 2022 World Cup.

7. Cody Gakpo - £50m (from PSV, 2023)

Liverpool faced an injury crisis in attack going into the new year of 2023 and moved on the market to sign PSV attacker Cody Gakpo for a fee of £50m, including bonus payments.

In the process, Liverpool got one over rivals Man Utd, who had been expected to buy Gakpo themselves in January 2023.

Gakpo emerged in 2022 as one of Europe's most exciting young attacker and he had been one of the stars of the 2022 World Cup, scoring three times for a Netherlands team that reached the quarter-final.

After a difficult start to his time with Liverpool, Gakpo ended up netting seven times in 21 Premier League games during his first half-season with the club.

6. Naby Keita - £54m (from RB Leipzig, 2018)

After an impressive couple of seasons at RB Leipzig, Liverpool decided that Naby Keita was the ideal signing to bolster their midfield options, and splashed over £50m on him.

In retrospect, that fee was far too much, and Keita was never able to pay it back with his performances. Klopp did not trust the Guinea international all that much, preferring Gini Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson and the aforementioned Fabinho.

Keita also struggled with injuries, and missed far too many games.

He failed to make over 25 starts in all competitions in a single campaign at the club, and made just eight Premier League appearances in his final season at Anfield before leaving on a free transfer upon the expiry of his contract.

5. Alexis MacAllister – £55m (from Brighton, 2023)

Although Liverpool paid somewhat of a bargain fee of £35m up front for Brighton's Alexis Mac Allister, the midfielder could end up costing £55m including add-ons, which would make him one of the Reds' most expensive signings ever.

Mac Allister had been an integral part of Brighton's midfield since joining in 2019 and had his brightest season to date prior to Liverpool's move, scoring ten Premier League goals and helping Argentina secure World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022.

Jurgen Klopp moved quickly to sign the 24-year-old, bringing him in almost as soon as the season finished, with the player keen to make the move and Brighton having agreed to sell him after preventing his exit in the January transfer window previously.

Liverpool had opted to move for Mac Allister after being priced out of a deal for Jude Bellingham and the Argentine offered value in the market as well as being a proven performer in English football.

4. Alisson - £56.3m (from Roma, 2018)

Signed in the same summer as Keita, Alisson fared much better at Anfield than the Guinea midfielder, as he finally ended Liverpool's goalkeeper woes.

First Simon Mignolet was a liability, then came Loris Karius, whose errors cost the Reds the 2017/18 Champions League. Alisson was signed, and immediately fixed things at the back.

He kept 27 clean sheets in all competitions in his first year and it was his rock-solid base that helped them lift the Champions League trophy that year.

He formed an excellent understanding with his back-four and that foundation led to the Premier League triumph in 2020.

3. Dominik Szoboszlai – £60m (from RB Leipzig, 2023

Touted as 'the ideal Jurgen Klopp player', Liverpool pulled off the £60m signing of Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig during the summer of 2023 as they looked to restructure their midfield.

A player renowned for his technical ability, versatility and pressing, Liverpool met the 22-year-old's release clause after he had led Leipzig to back-to-back DFB Pokal wins during his time at the club.

Despite strong interest from Newcastle, Szoboszlai admitted his admiration for Klopp and Liverpool and was handed the number eight shirt upon his arrival, formerly worn by Reds legend Steven Gerrard, whom the playmaker had grown up watching.

A set-piece specialist and already the captain of his country at a young age, Liverpool were more than willing to splash the cash to make Szoboszlai their third-most expensive signing ever in the hopes that they would be securing one of the brightest talents in world football.

2. Virgil van Dijk - £76.2m (from Southampton, 2018)

Arguably the most important signing in Liverpool's recent history, Virgil van Dijk changed the fortunes of the club for the better after his arrival from Southampton in January 2018.

He guided them to the Champions League final in his first six months, and followed that up by winning the competition the next year.

Becoming the best centre-back in the world, Van Dijk was the runner-up in the 2019 Ballon d'Or and his leadership and distribution at the back was potentially the most important part of their title-winning team.

It's not often that a £75m player is deemed a bargain, but Van Dijk has proven to be one since he swapped St Mary's for Anfield.

1. Darwin Nunez - £85.6m (from Benfica, 2022)

Darwin Nunez became the most expensive player in Liverpool's history when he signed from Benfica in the summer of 2022.

Liverpool agreed to pay an initial £64.2m (€75m) plus £21.4m (€25m) in add-ons to reach the final £85.6, (€100m) fee.

Jurgen Klopp was searching for another attacker to replace the outgoing Sadio Mane and wanted someone who could also offer a direct threat.

Nunez had impressed in the 2021-22 season by scoring 34 goals in 41 games, including strikes home and away against Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-finals.

He scored 15 goals in his first season at the club.