Man Utd’s 25 most expensive transfers of all time

Analysis

FT Desk

Manchester United have heavily been criticised in numerous areas since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, however their transfer investment has been huge during that time as they continue their pursuit of returning to former glories.

Man Utd have consistently been among the biggest spenders in the transfer market over the last 10 years, 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, FootballTransfers runs through the 25 most expensive Man Utd signings in history.

25. 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 was a reliable servant at Old Trafford, scoring 51 goals in 285 games, and who could forget his sensational bicycle-kick against Liverpool at Anfield?

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

After big money moves to Juventus and Bayern Munich, Matthijs de Ligt finally ended up in the Premier League following a €45m transfer to Man Utd in 2024.

He arrived at the request of compatriot Erik ten Hag, but the Dutchman was soon sacked much to De Ligt's frustration.

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

Rio Ferdinand was the kind of signing that Sir Alex 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. He won six English top flight titles at Old Trafford.

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

Man Utd had been desperate for an agile central midfielder for a while and many fans thought Manuel Ugarte was the answer upon his arrival in 2024.

Unfortunately, PSG boss Luis Enrique was happy to offload him for €50m and he has failed to cement a place in Man Utd's preferred starting XI during his time at Old Trafford.

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

After allowing David de Gea to leave the club, Man Utd turned to Andre Onana as his replacement, following a fantastic spell at Inter Milan.

However, he was a disaster at Old Trafford and he was loaned out to Trabzonspor in both 2025 and 2026.

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

Man Utd gambled on Aaron Wan-Bissaka's potential in 2019, paying a whopping €55m to lure him away from Crystal Palace.

However, his lack of technical quality soon became an issue at Old Trafford and he joined West Ham on a permanent deal in 2024.

19. Andrey Santos - €56.3m (from Chelsea, 2026)

Andrey Santos shone during a loan spell at Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg, but he struggled to work his way into Chelsea's preferred starting XI upon his return to Stamford Bridge.

After playing a bit-part role in 2025-26, he sought an exit and soon secured a €56.3m move to Man Utd.

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

Lisandro Martinez was one of several players to follow Erik ten Hag to Man Utd from Ajax, with the Dutchman desperate to bring his star centre-back with him.

The Argentina international was widely criticised for his lack of height during his debut season in the Premier League, but he has been a fine signing for Man Utd, despite his lofty price tag.

17. Fred - €59m (from Shakhtar, 2018)

Man Utd beat Pep Guardiola's Manchester City to the €59m signing of Fred in 2018 and it was seen as a real coup at the time.

However, he soon became a much-maligned figure and after five years of underwhelming form, the Brazilian was sold to Fenerbahce.

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

Anthony Martial's start to life at United couldn't have gone much better, coming off the bench at Old Trafford to score a remarkable solo goal against arch-rivals Liverpool.

However, that was his highlight in a Red Devils shirt and although he netted an impressive 90 goals for the club, the Frenchman drastically fell out of favour and was allowed to leave on a Bosman deal in 2024.

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

Leny Yoro was considered to be one of the best young centre-backs in the world when he put pen to paper on his Man Utd contract.

Real Madrid were originally expected to sign him, but Man Utd won the race for his signature after agreeing a €62m fee with Lille. The jury remains out on whether he will be a success.

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

An extremely rare transfer success story at Old Trafford, Bruno Fernandes has developed from a talented attacking midfielder to Man Utd's undisputed talisman, sticking by them through their current barren years.

Fernandes has registered over 200 goal contributions for the Red Devils and he won the PFA Player of the Year award in 2026.

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

Eyebrows were raised when Man Utd splurged a whopping €67.7m on Mason Mount, who had just one year remaining on his Chelsea contract at the time.

The England midfielder was keen to complete the deal after winning the Champions League at Stamford Bridge, but injuries have significantly hampered his time at Old Trafford.

12. 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.

Following the success of Raphael Varane's move, Man Utd brought him to Old Trafford and despite several dips in form, Casemiro will go down as a successful signing. He left in 2026 upon the expiration of his contract.

11. 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, 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 fight off strong competition for his signature.

10. 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.

9. 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 later 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.

8. Carlos Baleba - €75.9m (from Brighton, 2026)

Man Utd were on the verge of signing Carlos Baleba in 2025, having agreed personal terms with the midfielder, but they were unable to finalise a deal with Brighton & Hove Albion, who wanted in excess of €115m for his signature.

One year later, after an underwhelming season at the AMEX Stadium, the Red Devils were able to pick up the Cameroon star for just €75.9m.

He became Man Utd's third central midfield signing of the summer, after the aforementioned Santos and Youri Tielemans.

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 in 2025. 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 a €76.5m 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 joining 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 and Aston Villa in 2025, before leaving as a free agent in 2026.

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. He has bounced back under Michael Carrick.

2. Antony - €95m (from Ajax, 2022)

Man Utd landed Antony on Transfer Deadline Day in the summer of 2022 to set a new record, at the time, 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 joined the club permanently 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.

The 25 most expensive Man Utd signings of all time

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FT Desk

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