PSG’s Top 10 Most Expensive Player Of All Time

By Oladosu  Oluwagbenga 

PSG’s Top 10 Most Expensive Player Of All Time –  PSG has invested about €2 billion on transfers in their pursuit of European hegemony.

Since new owners Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) purchased a majority stake in the club in 2011, and then became the club’s sole owner in March 2012, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have significantly inflated a transfer market that was already out of control.

Over the past ten or so years, PSG has spent lavishly on a number of high-profile players in their pursuit of becoming the ultimate European champions.

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We all recall how they irrevocably altered the transfer market in 2017 when they paid a record-breaking €222 million for Neymar, followed by the second-most expensive move in history when they paid €180 million to sign Kylian Mbappe two years later following a fruitful loan spell.

So let’s look at their seasonal spending and their most costly arrivals in the twenty-first century.

*All figures are taken from Transfermarket.

Here are the Top 10 PSG most expensive player

#10 Javier Pastore | €42 million/£37.80 million | Palermo | 2011

One of the first few superstars to join PSG during the early phases of QSI’s ownership of the club was Javier Pastore.

Pastore, who was acquired from Palermo in 2011 for €42 million (£37.80 million), finally played for PSG for seven years, tallying 29 goals in 186 appearances.

When Neymar joined the team, Pastore voluntarily gave up his number 10 jersey and presented it to the Brazilian as a gift.

#9 Thiago Silva | €42 million/£37.80 million | Milan | 2012

Thiago Silva joined PSG in the summer of 2012 for €42 million (£37.80 million), a move that clearly benefited from Milan’s financial difficulties at the time.

The Brazilian defender was initially the subject of no rumors at Milan, and Silvio Berlusconi, the club’s owner at the time, assured that he would remain there.

Thiago Silva even extended his Milan deal till 2017 just 12 days before signing with PSG at the height of the drama.

But only a few weeks later did the transfer go place, making Thiago Silva the then-most expensive defender in history.

#8 Nuno Mendes | €48.80 million/£44.11 million | Sporting CP | 2022

Nuno Mendes was initially acquired by PSG in the summer of 2021 for a season-long loan.

His contributions to the team earned him a spot in the Team of the Year as well as a nomination for the Young Player of the Year in Ligue 1.

The Portuguese left-back was so excellent that PSG chose to use their option to trigger his €48.80 million (£44.11 million) buyout clause and sign him to a four-year contract.

#7 David Luiz | €49.50 million/£44.55 million | Chelsea | 2014

In the summer of 2014, PS

G smashed their own record by acquiring David Luiz from Chelsea, just two years after paying a defensive world record price for Thiago Silva.

Luiz won all four domestic competitions during his two-season stay in France after being purchased for €49.50 million (£44.55 million), and he returned to Stamford Bridge in 2016 for €35 million (£31.50 million).

Luiz left Chelsea after another three seasons and joined Arsenal before joining Flamengo in his native Brazil in 2021.

#6 Mauro Icardi | €50 million/£45 million | Inter | 2020

Icardi made a one-season loan from Inter to PSG in the summer of 2019 with a €70 million buyout option.

In his debut year with the team, he won Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the Coupe de la Ligue, and advanced to the UEFA Champions League final.

Icardi, along with Kylian Mbappe, led PSG in scoring with five goals in seven games despite not being utilized as a substitute in that final.

Although they renegotiated the agreement to eventually secure their man for €50 million (£45 million) in the summer of 2020, PSG chose to exercise the option to sign him.

#5 Angel Di Maria | €63 million/£56.50 million | Manchester United | 2015

After a very disappointing period at Manchester United, where he struggled to adapt and succeed, Angel Di Maria signed with PSG for €63 million (£56.50 million) in the summer of 2015.

Di Maria won many domestic championships during his seven years at PSG and even advanced to the 2019–20 Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

The Argentine winger played at PSG for two more seasons, scoring 92 goals and dishing out 112 assists in 295 games, before signing for Juventus as a free agent in the summer of 2022.

#4 Edinson Cavani | €64.50 million/£58.95 million | Napoli | 2013

Edinson Cavani was the sixth-most expensive player to be transferred in history when PSG signed him from Napoli in 2013 for €64.50 million (£58.95 million).

With PSG, Cavani won back-to-back domestic trebles, taking home the Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Coupe de la Ligue. During his time at the team, Cavani rose to become one of the best strikers in the world.

When he scored his 157th goal in his 229th game, a 4-0 victory over Montpellier in January 2018, on the way to becoming PSG’s all-time leading scorer, he also made history in Paris.

#3 Achraf Hakimi | €66.50 million/£59.85 million | Inter | 2021

In July 2021, Hakimi left Inter and joined PSG for €66.50 million (£59.85 million).

The Moroccan swiftly integrated himself into the first team after making a quick adjustment to life in France.

Hakimi made a spectacular entrance into Ligue 1 by scoring on his league debut against Troyes in the opening match of the 2021–22 campaign.

#2 Kylian Mbappe | €180 million/£162 million | Monaco | 2018

After helping Monaco win the league in his breakout 2016–17 season, Kylian Mbappe quickly gained notoriety in Europe and the attention of some of the top teams in the globe.

In August 2017, PSG finally seized the chance to sign the striker and did so on loan.

On both his Ligue 1 and Champions League debuts for PSG, Mbappe went on to score.

In the summer of 2018, the Parisians announced his permanent transfer for €180 million (£162 million), making him the second-most expensive transfer in football history. This followed a successful loan period.

Since moving to the city, Mbappe has nearly 200 goals for PSG across all competitions.

#1 Neymar | €222 million/£199.80 million | Barcelona | 2017

Neymar became the most expensive football player in history in the summer of 2017 after completing his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and paying Barcelona €222 million (£199.80 million) to trigger his release clause.

With the exception of the 2020–21 season, when Lille won the league title for the first time since 2011, the Brazilian superstar has won every league title since moving to Paris, including a domestic triple in his first season with the club.

Since 2017, Neymar has over 100 goals for PSG.

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