Romelu Lukaku‘s imminent return to Stamford Bridge is set to see Chelsea smash their transfer record in a mammoth £97.5m deal.
The Belgian striker has already racked up an eye-watering amount in transfer fees during his decade-long career – so where will this latest fee tie in?
Here is a look at the 10 most expensive players ever according to their accumulated transfer fees according to Transfermarkt via Daily Star Sport.
1) Romelu Lukaku – £288m
Lukaku is expected to be confirmed in a £97.5m deal imminently – a fee which would be a new Blues record and will see him move ahead of Neymar to the top of this expensive list.
2) Neymar – £279m
Neymar may be about to be nudged from the top of this list, but he does still hold the world record for a single fee splashed out on a player.
Paris Saint-Germain forked out an astronomical £197m to prise the Brazilian icon from Barcelona back in 2017.
3) Cristiano Ronaldo – £209m
Cristiano Ronaldo has commanded a whopping figure in excess of £200m in transfer fees during his career.
He was prised from Old Trafford in a then-record £80m switch to Real Madrid where he lit up La Liga during a mesmerising nine-year stay at the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo was lured to Turin in a sensational £105m deal three years ago after notching an incredible 451 goals in 438 appearances for Madrid.
4) Alvaro Morata – £170m
The 28-year-old striker has commanded £170m in transfer fees but has failed to nail down a home over the past few years.
Morata flopped at Chelsea after a club record £70m deal before being offloaded to Athletico Madrid for £50m.
5) Angel Di Maria – £161m
The Argentine winger captured global attention with his £59.7m move to Manchester United back in 2014, with the Old Trafford club accused of paying an inflated fee.
Di Maria racked up just 34 appearances and four goals in a miserable year before his short stint in Manchester was ended with a £44m switch to French giants PSG.
6) Antoine Griezmann – £156m
The Frenchman completed one of the most controversial transfers in La Liga history when Barcelona exercised the £100m release clause in his Atletico Madrid contract.
7) Philippe Coutinho – £153m
Philippe Coutinho was prised away from Liverpool by Barcelona for an initial £105m deal back in 2018.
Despite amassing over £150m in transfer fees throughout his career, the 29-year-old winger managed just 12 La Liga appearances last year and his future remains unclear.
8) Zlatan Ibrahimovic – £152m
The Swedish striker's catalogue of big money moves has seen him rack up a whopping £152m in transfer fees during his storied career.
Ibrahimovic's inclusion on this list is made more remarkable when you consider that he hasn't commanded a transfer fee at any of his last three clubs.
His biggest move was a whopping £59m switch to Barcelona back in 2009, where he spent two years before arriving in Milan for his first spell at the San Siro on loan.
9) Gonzalo Higuain – £140m
Gonzalo Higuain’s form in his prime prompted Napoli to bring the Argentine striker to Italy before Juventus shelled out a whopping £75.3m to prise him from Naples after just three years.
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10) Ousmane Dembele – £137m
The Frenchman arrived at Barcelona in a whopping £135.5m switch from Borussia Dortmund back in 2017.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 years ago
