The 10 most expensive Barcelona transfers of all time and how they fared

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Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Neymar

Dembele, Coutinho and Neymar all cost Barcelona a lot of money

While Barcelona are renowned for promoting academy graduates to the first team, they have also made a lot of big-money signings.

Their reckless spending over the past few years has left them in a lot of debt, although they have still been successful on the pitch.

We’ve taken a look at the 10 most expensive signings in Barcelona’s history and how those players subsequently fared after completing the move.

Note: we’ve taken into account any potential add-ons in the figures. Also, all stats are correct as of July 2025.

10= Ferran Torres – €65m

From: Manchester City

Year: 2022

Barcelona appearances: 158

A Valencia academy graduate, Torres spent one-and-a-half seasons at Manchester City before returning to LaLiga with Barcelona in January 2022.

The Spain international cost the club an initial €55million, although that fee could rise to €65million with performance-based add-ons.

He is yet to nail down a starting berth and is currently behind Robert Lewandowski in the pecking order, but he has proved to be a brilliant ‘super sub’ for the Blaugrana.

The 25-year-old registered 19 goals and seven assists in 2024/25, helping them win LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercopa.

10= Raphinha – €65m

From: Leeds United

Year: 2022

Barcelona appearances: 144

Barcelona fought off competition from Chelsea and Arsenal to sign Raphinha in a deal worth an initial €59million and €6million in add-ons.

The Brazil international endured two underwhelming seasons under Xavi and was linked with a move away in the summer of 2024.

But Hansi Flick convinced him to stay and he turned his fortunes around in 2024/25, registering 34 goals and 25 assists in 57 appearances in all competitions.

“Raphinha is one of the best players today,” former Barcelona striker Romario said. “He is one of the best in the world. He does very well with the Barca shirt and he is also doing very well with the Brazilian shirt.”

10= Miralem Pjanic – €65m

From: Juventus

Year: 2020

Barcelona appearances: 30

More than a few eyebrows were raised when Barcelona agreed to pay Juventus €65million for a 30-year-old Pjanic in the summer of 2020.

Arthur Melo moved in the opposite direction for €72million and the deals were probably designed to help both sides work around Financial Fair Play.

The midfielder started just 13 games for Barcelona and spent the 2021/22 season on loan at Besiktas before joining United Arab Emirates side Sharjah FC on a free transfer.

7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – €66m

From: Inter Milan

Year: 2009

Barcelona appearances: 46

Despite leading Barcelona to the treble in his first season in charge, Pep Guardiola decided to shake up his attack and buy Ibrahimovic.

Barcelona paid Inter Milan €46million for the Sweden international and also gave them Samuel Eto’o, who was valued at €20million.

While Eto’o won another treble with Inter in 2010/11, Ibrahimovic scored just 22 goals in 46 appearances for Barcelona and famously fell out with Guardiola.

He returned to the San Siro in 2010, spending a season on loan at AC Milan before making the move permanent for €24million.

6. Luis Suarez – €81.7m

From: Liverpool

Year: 2014

Barcelona appearances: 283

After winning the Premier League Golden Boot in 2013/14, Suarez left Liverpool and signed for Barcelona in a €81.7million deal.

The striker missed the first few months of the 2014/15 season through suspension after biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup but once he made his Barcelona debut, he never looked back.

He formed a formidable partnership with Neymar and Lionel Messi and netted 198 goals in 283 appearances, putting him third on the club’s all-time goalscoring list.

His goals helped Barcelona win four LaLiga titles, four Copa del Reys, the Champions League, a UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA World Club Cup.

5. Frenkie de Jong – €86m

From: Ajax

Year: 2019

Barcelona appearances: 259

De Jong established himself of the most sought-after midfielders in Europe after helping Ajax reach the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2018/19.

He snubbed Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain before joining Barcelona in a deal worth an initial €75million and another €11million in bonuses.

The Netherlands international initially failed to live up to expectations and was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United throughout the summer of 2022.

But he remained at Barcelona and has since played a key role in their La Liga title-winning campaigns of 2022/23 and 2024/25.

4. Neymar – €86.2m

From: Santos

Year: 2013

Barcelona appearances: 186

Barcelona went head-to-head with Real Madrid in a long-winded pursuit of Neymar and eventually won the race for his signature in 2013.

While Barcelona initially claimed they paid €57million to sign him from Santos, it later emerged the transfer fee was €86.2million.

The winger was still worth every penny as he registered 105 goals and 76 assists during four trophy-laden years at Camp Nou.

Barcelona then made a huge profit by selling him to Paris Saint-Germain for €222million, which to date remains the highest-ever transfer fee paid for a footballer.

3. Antoine Griezmann – €120m

From: Atletico Madrid

Year: 2019

Barcelona appearances: 102

Having failed to sign Griezmann in 2018, Barcelona reignited their interest in the forward in 2019 and triggered the €120million release clause in his Atletico Madrid contract.

But he struggled to replicate his Atletico form at Camp Nou, registering just 35 goals and 17 assists in 102 appearances for Barcelona.

The France international returned to Diego Simeone’s side on an initial loan deal in 2021 and the move was later made permanent for just €20million.

“We all know what kind of player he is but I think that he does not fit in our system,” Barcelona president Joan Laporta said. “He always had the right attitude but he was not the player we needed.”

2. Ousmane Dembele – €147m

From: Borussia Dortmund

Year: 2017

Barcelona appearances: 185

After selling Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona identified Dembele as the ideal replacement for the Brazil international and paid an initial €105million to secure his services.

The deal for the former Borussia Dortmund winger also included €42million in potential add-ons, taking the overall package to €147million.

He struggled for consistency at Camp Nou and was also plagued by a series of injury problems, which made him miss over 100 games.

The France international did still win three La Liga titles and two Copa del Reys before following in Neymar’s footsteps and joining PSG in a €50million deal in 2023.

1. Philippe Coutinho – €160m

From: Liverpool

Year: 2018

Barcelona appearances: 106

Barcelona broke the LaLiga transfer record to sign Coutinho in January 2018, paying Liverpool an initial €120million and another €40million in potential add-ons.

The attacking midfielder was seen as the heir to Andres Iniesta, but he failed to justify his enormous price tag and was ill-suited to Barcelona’s 4-3-3 formation.

To make matters worse, he also scored two goals against Barcelona in an 8-2 thrashing whilst on loan at Bayern Munich in 2019/20.

After being deemed surplus to requirements, the Brazil international returned to the Premier League in 2022 and completed a €20million move to Aston Villa.

READ MORE: Every completed Barcelona transfer in summer 2025: Signings, exits, loans

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