Liverpool's 10 biggest sales of all time

FT Desk

• Updated: 24 Feb 2026 08:46 CST
• 7 min read

Analysis

For most of Fenway Sports Group's reign at Liverpool, the Anfield club have strived to out-think their rivals in the transfer market, rather than simply outspend them.

This has meant that the Premier League giants have been able to negotiate relatively large fees for their own players to cover the cost of transfer targets they wish to acquire. A policy of letting players leave if they get itchy feet has helped ensure a quick turnover.

The club's transfer policy was elevated to another level, although not entirely abandoned, in the summer of 2025, when Liverpool shattered the Premier League record twice on Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.

However, this huge investment was still offset by major sales, allowing the Reds to avoid breaching financial regulations.

Below, FootballTransfers lists Liverpool's 10 most expensive sales in history.

10. Sadio Mane - €32m (to Bayern Munich, 2022)

Sadio Mane completed a €32m move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022, ending an illustrious career at Anfield.

It was a surprising deal given the form of Mane in the months leading up to its completion.

He played a major role in the Reds' victories in the League Cup and the FA Cup just months before his exit, while his displays for Senegal, which helped them win the Africa Cup of Nations, elevated him to the level of Ballon d'Or contender.

Mane left the club having scored 120 goals for Liverpool. His time at Bayern Munich didn't go as planned, and he departed again after just one year to join Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

9. Xabi Alonso - €34.5m (to Real Madrid, 2009)

The year before Javier Mascherano left for Spain, Xabi Alonso swapped Anfield for the Santiago Bernabeu when he completed a big-money move to Real Madrid.

With his contract at Liverpool running until 2012, it was believed he would stay, and club captain Gerrard admitted he was "devastated" by Alonso's departure.

He had helped Liverpool win the 2005 Champions League, scoring in the final, which was a feat he achieved for a second time when he was part of 'La Decima' winning squad in Madrid, although he did miss that final through suspension.

Alonso eventually left Real for Bayern Munich in 2014.

8. Jarell Quansah - €35m (to Bayer Leverkusen, 2025)

Academy graduate Jarell Quansah was one of the biggest revelations of Jurgen Klopp's final season at Liverpool, but things quickly turned sour for him under Arne Slot.

Substituted at half-time and publicly criticised by the Dutchman after his first game in charge, Quansah never managed to earn his trust and only played a bit-part role as Liverpool won the Premier League in 2024/25.

As a result, the England hopeful left his formative club in the summer of 2025 in search of game time. He joined Bayer Leverkusen for €35m and did get capped by the Three Lions just a few months later. The Reds made sure to include a buy-back clause in his deal.

7. Fabinho - €46.7m (to Al-Ittihad, 2023)

Fabinho was one of the world's best defensive midfielders during his peak at Liverpool, and his role in the team helped Jurgen Klopp finally win the Premier League in 2019.

However, despite his brilliance, Fabinho begin to lag in 2022 and his form coincided with Liverpool dropping out of the top four in the 2022-23 season.

After weeks of speculation, the Brazilian was then sold to Al-Ittihad for €46.7m, with Reds team-mate Jordan Henderson joining him in the Saudi Pro League.

6. Darwin Nunez - €53m (to Al-Hilal, 2025)

Uruguay international Dawin Nunez was an enigma during his three years at Liverpool. Despite having all the physical attributes to dominate the Premier League, he lacked one of the most important traits for a striker: composure.

His erratic finishing ultimately meant that the €85m signing went down as a huge flop at Anfield, despite being a popular figure in the dressing room and with large sections of the fanbase due to his exceptional work rate.

Liverpool managed to recoup a large chunk of their original outlay when they sold Nunez to Al-Hilal for €53m in the summer of 2025. His stint in Riyadh quickly turned into a nightmare as he was de-registered from the Saudi Pro League by Al-Hilal after just six months to make way for Karim Benzema.

5. Fernando Torres - €58.5m (to Chelsea, 2011)

In one of the most active January transfer windows in Premier League history, Liverpool sold star striker Fernando Torres to rivals Chelsea in 2011, which set a new British transfer record, and made him the sixth most expensive player in history at the time.

It took Torres 903 minutes of football to score his first goal for Chelsea, and having failed to score more than eight league goals in a season for the Blues, it's fair to say he never replicated his Liverpool form at Stamford Bridge.

However, he did score a crucial goal in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona as Chelsea went on to lift the trophy. Torres was then sold back to boyhood club Atletico Madrid.

4. Raheem Sterling - €63.7m (to Man City, 2015)

Raheem Sterling had been the subject of multiple bids from Man City before he was eventually sold by Liverpool for a fee that rose to €63.7m with add-ons.

He had impressed as Liverpool narrowly missed out on the title in 2014, but aged just 20 at the time, it was a huge gamble from Man City.

Sterling established himself as one of the best wide attackers in Europe under Pep Guardiola at City before leaving for Chelsea in 2022.

3. Luis Diaz - €70m (to Bayern Munich, 2025)

Colombia international Luis Diaz looked on course to become something of a Liverpool flop after he joined from Porto for €49m in January 2022. Although he was never terrible, he did struggle to consistently make attacking contributions in his first few seasons at Anfield.

However, that all changed when Arne Slot succeeded Jurgen Klopp in 2024. With Diaz spearheading the attack, Liverpool won the Premier League in 2025 in what proved to be "Lucho's" final season at the club.

Diaz was simply sensational, and Liverpool decided to cash in on him when his stock was at its highest, selling the 28-year-old to Bayern Munich for a whopping €70m. He continued his outstanding form in Germany, so it was money well spent by the Bavarians.

2. Luis Suarez - €81.7m (to Barcelona, 2014)

Signed, along with the less successful Andy Carroll, as Torres' replacement, Luis Suarez was a sensation at Liverpool and he truly he announced himself on the world stage.

Suarez was a consistent goal-scorer at Anfield, but in 2013-14 he emerged as one of the world's best players, scoring 31 goals and assisting 11 in the Premier League as Liverpool finished second. He was outstanding that year, and it prompted Barcelona to sign him.

He netted 195 goals and assisted 96 for the Blaugrana, and formed part of the famous 'MSN' trio alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar.

The Uruguayan was sold to Atletico Madrid in 2020, and helped them win the La Liga title in his first season.

1. Philippe Coutinho - €135m (to Barcelona, 2018)

Philippe Coutinho's move to the Camp Nou remains one of the most expensive transfers in football history.

After being pursued for several weeks, Barcelona decided to sign the Brazilian as Neymar's replacement following his departure to PSG. An initial bid was rejected, and Coutinho handed in a transfer request.

His wish to join Barca was eventually granted in January 2018, but the move didn't work out. Coutinho was even loaned out to Bayern Munich for 2019-20, scoring twice off the bench to knock his parent club out of the Champions League, before returning a year later.

Injuries, however, took their toll, and Coutinho looked a fraction of his Liverpool self in Spain, eventually moving to Aston Villa after scoring just 25 goals in 106 Barcelona appearances.

The 10 biggest Liverpool sales of all time