Liverpool have signed 22-year-old midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a blockbuster switch value an preliminary £100 million, with £16m in potential add-ons.
Whereas the British switch report stays the £106.3m that Chelsea paid Benfica up entrance to signal Enzo Fernández in 2023, Wirtz will turn out to be solely the fifth participant to maneuver to (or inside) the Premier League for over £100m.
Although Wirtz’s charge is a great distance shy of the world-record switch — Neymar’s £198m transfer to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona in 2017 — any deal that reaches 9 figures places enormous strain on the gamers and, usually talking, these concerned battle to stay as much as the expectations created by these astronomical numbers.
Right here, we rank the earlier 4 based mostly on how profitable they have been, but additionally what the longer term holds for them.
4. Enzo Fernández
£106.8m, Benfica to Chelsea, 2023
Fernández’s expertise at Chelsea has been up and down, regardless of the very fact he is solely been there 2½ years.
Signed below Graham Potter off the again of the 2022 World Cup win with Argentina (therefore the inflated charge that noticed Benfica make over £100m in revenue from their preliminary £6m funding), he was first given a restrictive position on the base of midfield, tasked with recycling possession and switching play — however not likely getting concerning the pitch or into goal-scoring areas.
His standing within the workforce was then referred to as into query considerably as Potter’s everlasting alternative Mauricio Pochettino (who took over after Frank Lampard’s caretaker spell) actually appreciated Conor Gallagher and centered on his pairing with Moisés Caicedo, which left the Argentine on the surface wanting in at occasions.
However below supervisor Enzo Maresca, issues modified within the 2024-25 season. In reality, at occasions in 2025, Fernández has seemed the Blues’ finest wager to attain a purpose, along with his runs into the field and rasping lengthy photographs proving very efficient. His six league strikes this season made him the membership’s third-top purpose scorer, and he is already netted one within the 2025 Membership World Cup.
Life is way from straightforward at Chelsea, what with the fixed managerial upheaval (he is performed below 4 already) and over £1 billion of switch enterprise in a handful of home windows, so this isn’t essentially the Argentine’s fault, however the image of what Fernández ought to be as a participant has by no means been fully clear. Certainly, the workforce has by no means felt prefer it’s his, so at no level has he actually felt like a £106.8m footballer.
On the very least, although, there’s loads of time for this switch to pan out. In contrast to…
3. Jack Grealish
£100m, Aston Villa to Manchester Metropolis, 2021
If you make investments £100m into signing a participant, you not solely count on fireworks, however you count on them to be a giant a part of the workforce for a really very long time. Tips on how to gauge Grealish’s Metropolis profession, then, given it seems to be over after simply 4 uneven seasons?
The 29-year-old was omitted of Pep Guardiola’s Membership World Cup squad this summer season in an try and expedite his departure. It is hardly the situation anybody envisioned when Metropolis broke the British switch report to signal him from Aston Villa in 2021.
Given the stakes concerned in such an costly deal, it is truthful to say three of Grealish’s 4 seasons shade extra in the direction of disappointment than success. He by no means eclipsed the five-goal mark within the Premier League, and performed simply 716 minutes in 2024-25. Nonetheless, he’ll all the time be capable to level to the 2022-23 marketing campaign, wherein he performed a pivotal position in Man Metropolis profitable a European treble. He was a pressure to be reckoned with within the Champions League, ending the match with essentially the most shot-creating actions (55) of any participant and dealing exhausting for the workforce, whereas additionally selecting up the Premier League and FA Cup trophies.
This monster season prevents Grealish’s time at Metropolis from being considered a complete failure, but when this actually is the top of the England worldwide’s profession on the Etihad Stadium, he did not actually justify the charge ultimately. Grealish ranks above Fernández on this checklist as a result of his influence in 2022-23 is extra definable than something the Argentine has managed thus far.
2. Declan Rice
£100m (plus £5m in add-ons), West Ham to Arsenal, 2023
Now we start to maneuver towards the anticipated influence of a £100m-plus participant. After flitting between the No. 6 deep-lying midfield position and that of a box-to-box No. 8 early on in his Arsenal profession, Rice has flourished within the latter place as his aggression and energy typically lead Arsenal to win management of the center. He registered not less than three tackles and interceptions mixed in 15 separate Premier League video games final season.
Rice has additionally turn out to be one of many league’s high set-piece takers, perfecting the artwork of the in-swinging nook to nice impact, then added direct free-kick objectives to his recreation on that well-known evening towards Actual Madrid within the Champions League quarterfinals.
His pure health ranges are off the charts: He has began 32 or extra league video games in every of the previous seven seasons, regularly performed complete European campaigns alongside them, and has reached two European Championship finals as a key participant for his nation in that point too.
A sturdy, bodily imposing, purpose scoring, box-to-box midfielder with a penchant taking management of massive video games? That is somebody you’ll be able to construct round for years to come back.
1. Moisés Caicedo
£100m (plus £15m in add-ons), Brighton & Hove Albion to Chelsea, 2023
How typically do you discover two golf equipment keen to pay over £100m to signal a participant? A lot in order that they find yourself truly lodging monster bids and going head-to-head?
It was a exceptional scenario for Caicedo to seek out himself in: Liverpool agreed to a complete of £111m, then Chelsea went to £115m, which was structured as £100m up entrance and £15m in potential add-ons. It was a saga that lasted many of the summer season, wrecked his preseason and piled strain on the Ecuador midfielder’s debut for the Blues — which noticed him give away a penalty in a frankly horrible cameo throughout a 3-1 loss to West Ham United.
That stunning begin is a distant reminiscence, as Caicedo quickly discovered his ft and for the previous 18 months or so, he is performed distinctive soccer to a ridiculously constant stage, showcasing a exceptional array of abilities.
Not solely is Caicedo one of the prolific tacklers and interceptors (third-most within the Premier League final season), he is additionally an underrated progressive passer (he ranks ninth for progressive passes), a very good ball provider and is tactically sensible sufficient to invert from proper again if his workforce wants him to. He is in all probability the second-best and most vital participant at Chelsea, behind solely Cole Palmer.
Chelsea have already loved two wonderful seasons from the 23-year-old and have a lot extra to look ahead to. Signing younger gamers for enormous switch charges carries danger, however the upside is which you could profit from their very lengthy, profitable careers in the event that they work out.
In a really shut name between Caicedo and Rice for the No. 1 spot — two gamers who’ve absolutely made their workforce’s engine rooms their very own — the previous edges it partially due to that longevity.
