The 10 most expensive Bundesliga signings of all time after Luis Diaz joins Bayern Munich

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Matthijs de Ligt, Luis Diaz & Kim Min-jae

Bayern Munich signings dominate the biggest ever in the Bundesliga

The big spending in the Bundesliga is usually done by Bayern Munich, as proven by the top 10 most expensive signings in the German top flight’s history.

Bayern are responsible for nine of the 10 biggest transfers in Bundesliga history, taking into account the full packages including add-ons (even if not all of those bonuses were activated).

As things stand, here are the top 10 after Luis Diaz became the latest entry.

10. Kim Min-jae – €50m

  • Year: 2023
  • Position: Centre-back
  • From: Napoli
  • To: Bayern Munich

After a single season in the Turkish Super Lig with Fenerbahce, Kim earned a move to Napoli in 2022. His stay in Serie A would last just a year as well, but he helped Napoli become Italian champions for just the third time in their history.

Kim’s market value skyrocketed over the course of the season, which meant the €50m release clause in his contract looked appealing to plenty of clubs across Europe.

Ultimately, it was Bayern who won the race to activate it. They have since become the club he’s represented the most in his career.

9. Joao Palhinha – €56m

  • Year: 2024
  • Position: Midfielder
  • From: Fulham
  • To: Bayern Munich

For two seasons in a row with Fulham, Palhinha made more tackles than any other player in the Premier League.

Once it was clear he was ready for another step up in his career, the former Sporting midfielder caught the attention of a Bayern side moving into a new era under Vincent Kompany.

Bayern agreed a deal worth an initial €51m, which could rise by another €5m in add-ons.

But he played in only half of their Bundesliga matches in his debut season and 192 players made more tackles than him this time around.

8. Michael Olise – €59m

  • Year: 2024
  • Position: Winger
  • From: Crystal Palace
  • To: Bayern Munich

Olise had a release clause in his contract with Crystal Palace, which could be activated for €53m plus €6m.

Bayern beat Premier League competition to secure the winger’s services in the summer of 2024 and he went on to make a major impression during his debut season.

Indeed, Olise got 12 goals and 18 assists – so, 30 goal contributions – from 34 Bundesliga appearances in 2024-25.

7. Leroy Sane – €60m

  • Year: 2020
  • Position: Winger
  • From: Manchester City
  • To: Bayern Munich

Sane was eager to return to his native Germany in 2020 after a successful spell with Manchester City, which didn’t have the best of endings due to a serious injury.

The winger found his feet again in Munich after moving to Bayern for €45m plus €15m in add-ons, the first €4m of which were due to be quickly achieved.

Sane spent five seasons with Bayern, fulfilling his contract before leaving for Galatasaray as a free agent.

6. Luis Diaz – €75m

  • Year: 2025
  • Position: Winger
  • From: Liverpool
  • To: Bayern Munich

The most recent addition to the top 10, Diaz has joined Bayern for an initial €70m, which could rise to €75m, according to reports.

Liverpool have made a profit on the former Porto winger, who had his best goalscoring season directly before his Bayern move but was unhappy with his terms on Merseyside.

Bayern have boosted Diaz’s salary significantly after giving him a four-year contract.

5. Matthijs de Ligt – €77m

  • Year: 2022
  • Position: Centre-back
  • From: Juventus
  • To: Bayern Munich

Although he was regarded as one of the top prospects in world football when he came through at Ajax, his next club Juventus were happy to let De Ligt go after just three seasons.

Bayern succeeded with a bid worth €67m rising to €77m for the Dutch defender, who signed a five-year contract.

But he only spent two years in the Bundesliga before leaving for Manchester United, where he reunited with Erik ten Hag.

4. Renato Sanches – €80m

  • Year: 2016
  • Position: Midfielder
  • From: Juventus
  • To: Bayern Munich

Sanches’ initial fee was just €35m, but Bayern committed to up to €45m more in add-ons when they bought him from Benfica in 2016 on the back of his exploits at the European Championship with Portugal.

In reality, Sanches didn’t do enough at Bayern for many of those add-ons to become active. After just one season, he went on loan to Swansea City.

Bayern eventually sold Sanches to Lille in 2019 for what was the French club’s record fee at €20m, but it was a case of cutting losses for his former employers.

3. Xavi Simons – €80m

  • Year: 2025
  • Position: Attacking midfielder
  • From: Paris Saint-Germain
  • To: RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig attacker Xavi Simons
RB Leipzig attacker Xavi Simons

The only non-Bayern signing currently in the top 10, Simons signed a permanent contract with RB Leipzig in January after being on loan there from Paris Saint-Germain for 18 months.

The initial fee was €50m, but the package was also agreed to contain up to €30m in add-ons.

However, Simons looks set to leave the Bundesliga behind fairly quickly, since Chelsea are expecting to sign him.

2. Lucas Hernandez – €80m

  • Year: 2019
  • Position: Defender
  • From: Atletico Madrid
  • To: Bayern Munich

Bayern broke the Bundesliga transfer record in 2019 to sign Hernandez from Atletico Madrid on a five-year contract.

This time, the €80m was a fixed fee – but Bayern only saw half of it back when they sold the Frenchman to Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.

Hernandez missed the end of his final season with Bayern due to an ACL injury he picked up at the 2022 World Cup, but was a Bundesliga winner in all four of his campaigns in Germany.

1. Harry Kane – €95m

  • Year: 2023
  • Position: Striker
  • From: Tottenham Hotspur
  • To: Bayern Munich

Bayern broke their record to sign Kane in 2023, luring him away from Tottenham Hotspur despite the all-time Premier League goalscoring record being a reasonably realistic dream target for the England captain.

Bayern clarified the fee they paid for Kane was €95m, but remarkably, they were beaten to the Bundesliga title in 2023-24 by Bayer Leverkusen.

Kane finally won the first league title of his career the following season after being the Bundesliga’s top scorer for a second consecutive campaign.

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