Man Utd’s 25 most expensive transfers of all time

FT Desk

• Updated: 27 Oct 2025 10:09 CDT
• 11 min read

Analysis

Manchester United have heavily been criticised in numerous areas since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, however their investment on players has been gigantic 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. However, many of these high-profile signings have failed to produce the goods at Old Trafford.

Below, we run through the 25 most expensive Man Utd signings in history.

25. Juan Sebastian Veron - €42.6m (from Lazio, 2001)

Nobody with a brain thinks the majestic Veron is a bad player, but this was simply a bad fit.

The Argentine arrived for €42.6m from Lazio in the summer of 2001. Ferguson had wanted to add another option to Paul Scholes and Roy Keane, and he made a rare move for a genuine world class talent.

Veron wasn’t suited to the pace and physicality of the English game, though, and after just seven goals in 57 Premier League games, he joined Chelsea for a big loss two years later.

24. Nemanja Matic - €44.7m (from Chelsea, 2017)

Matic had made the 'Claude Makelele' position his own at Chelsea, emerging as a key anchor to the midfield for the Blues.

He reunited with former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho at Man Utd and was a good player during a decent period - a decent period compared to now, at least.

23. Juan Mata - €44.7m (from Chelsea, 2014)

Competition for places was rife at Chelsea in 2014 and Juan Mata was an unfortunate victim of this as he was allowed to leave for Man Utd.

The Spaniard always gave his best for the club and perhaps deserved more success, though who could forget his sensational double against Liverpool at Anfield?

22. Matthijs de Ligt - €45m (from Bayern, 2024)

It seems that the jury is still out on De Ligt as some view him as an old-style centre-back not equipped to the modern game, while others reckon he has been a solid performer.

Not the most agile player, and he struggles to play out from the back, but when it comes to the art of defending he usually impresses.

21. Rio Ferdinand - €46m (from Leeds, 2002)

Ferdinand was the kind of signing Ferguson made a habit of; identifying the best young English talent available and snapping them up.

The ex-West Ham and Leeds defender was exceptional on the ball but was also a leader and together with Nemanja Vidic created one of the best central defensive pairings in Premier League history.

20. Manuel Ugarte - €50m (from PSG, 2024)

Man Utd have been desperate for an agile central midfielder for a while and many fans thought Ugarte was the answer.

Unfortunately, you can see why someone like PSG boss Luis Enrique wasn't a fan - he is just not good enough in possession.

19. Andre Onana - €50.2m (from Inter, 2023)

In turns out it was a disastrous decision for Man Utd to allow David de Gea to leave as they have been unable to replace him since.

His initial replacement was Andre Onana and, sheesh, what a disaster he has been. It isn't an exaggeration to say that he got to the point when he made at least one high-profile mistake per game before leaving the club on loan this past summer.

18. Aaron Wan-Bissaka - €55m (from Crystal Palace, 2019)

Fans of Wan-Bissaka always used to say "there's no better one-on-one defender in the Premier League".

Though that may have been true, football is generally played with a ball at the feet and he wasn't very good at that and offered Man Utd nothing in an era when full-back providing width is so incredible vital.

17. Lisandro Martinez - €57.4m (from Ajax, 2022)

Martinez, inevitably, received criticisms for his height but unfortunately for him that is usually a prerequisite for being a dominant defender in the Premier League.

Injuries have hurt his progress and you can't deny his passion, but he hasn't been worth that big outlay so far.

16. Fred - €59m (from Shakhtar, 2018)

The problem with Fred at Man Utd is that he just seemed aloof most of the time. Nothing seemed to faze him but with that mindset comes a malaise that inevitably creeps in.

Often too ponderous in possession, the team were lightweight in midfield whenever he started.

15. Anthony Martial - €60m (from Monaco, 2015)

Martial had a dream debut with United as he came off the bench to score a remarkable solo goal against arch rivals Liverpool.

But, it's not harsh to say that was his highlight in a Red Devils shirt as although he had sparse moments of quality throughout his career at Old Trafford, he was inconsistent and his eventual drop-off was drastic.

He is now playing in Mexico.

14. Leny Yoro - €62m (from Lille, 2024)

Some would argue that this is the kind of signing that Man Utd should be making as Yoro was considered one of the best young centre-backs in the world when he put pen to paper.

However, Real Madrid allegedly bowed out of the race to sign him due to concerns over his injury record and he hasn't done a lot to dispel those suggestions at Old Trafford.

The talent is certainly there to be nourished, though.

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

An extremely rare success story of the past five years, Bruno Fernandes has developed from a talented attacking midfielder to the undisputed talisman of Man Utd, sticking by them through their current barren years.

He's seen off a handful of managers and seems committed to the club, but how much longer will he stick around if things don't improve at Old Trafford?

12. Mason Mount - €67.7m (from Chelsea, 2023)

Eyebrows were raised when Man Utd splurged a huge amount on Mount, who came through the ranks at Chelsea.

A Man Utd fan as a youngster, he is yet to really show anything to justify that fee, while he is regularly out with injuries.

He does seem to be trusted by Ruben Amorim, however.

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

Casemiro had won everything possible at Real Madrid and will go down as one of the best defensive midfielder players of this century.

He hasn't replicated the kind of form that led to a ridiculous trophy haul with Los Blancos. And yet, and yet, he shows glimpses of superb quality on occasion which is why he continues to get picked despite being ill-suited to the furious pace of the Premier League.

The 10 most expensive Man Utd signings of all time

10. 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 €74.2m 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.

9. 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” following his move to PSG after just 12 months in England.

8. Bryan Mbeumo - €75m (from Brentford, 2025)

In 2025, Man Utd splashed the cash in Ruben Amorim's first summer window in charge. After signing the aforementioned Cunha for €74.2m, they added Brentford attacker Bryan Mbeumo to their side as well.

The Red Devils shelled out an eye-watering €75m on the Cameroon international despite the fact that he only had two years remaining on his deal at Brentford.

Mbeumo arrived at Old Trafford after scoring 20 Premier League goals during the 2024-25 season.

7. Benjamin Sesko - €76.5m (from RB Leipzig, 2025)

Despite signing the aforementioned Cunha and Mbeumo, it was clear that Man Utd still desperately needed a new striker. After missing out on Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal, RB Leipzig youngster Benjamin Sesko became the Red Devils' top target.

After a lengthy battle with Newcastle, Man Utd managed to strike an €85m deal with Leipzig. Sesko only had his heart set on moving to Old Trafford, and Man Utd director of recruitment Christopher Vivell, formerly a scout and director at Red Bull, played a huge role in making the deal happen.

Sesko scored 39 goals and provided eight assists in 87 appearances for RB Leipzig.

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, despite his lack of experience at the top level.

Hojlund scored a measly tally of 26 goals in 95 games for Man Utd, before Napoli on loan with an obligation to buy in 2025.

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. He was loaned to Chelsea in 2024, before joining Aston Villa on another loan deal in 2025.

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 City.

It took the Englishman just 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 and he is widely considered as a flop at Old Trafford.

2. Antony - €95m (from Ajax, 2022)

Man Utd landed Antony on Transfer Deadline Day in the summer of 2022 to set a new record for the most expensive deal ever concluded on the final day of the summer window.

He was deemed a priority signing by Ten Hag throughout the summer and Man Utd finally completed a deal for a whopping €95m.

After a poor two-and-a-half year stint at Old Trafford, Antony joined Real Betis on loan in January 2025 and he then rejoined the club on another deal just six months later.

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

Paul Pogba made his widely-publicised return to Man Utd for a world-record transfer fee of €105m during the 2016 summer window.

He arrived following a stellar stint at Juventus, during which time he established himself as one of the world’s best midfielders, but his second spell at Old Trafford saw him struggle with inconsistency and injury problems.

When fully fit and firing, Pogba was impossible to stop, but he ultimately failed to live up to his price tag and he left on a free transfer to rejoin Juventus in 2022.

Most expensive Man Utd signings of all time

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