Liverpool’s most expensive signings of all time, Mohamed Salah nowhere to be seen

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Liverpool do not often splash the cash as much as their domestic rivals – such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City.

The Reds are more measured in their approach to the transfer market, excelling when it comes to offloading fringe players for huge fees – such as the £26m and £15m sales of Mamadou Sakho and Jordon Ibe to Crystal Palace and Bournemouth respectively – with that money then wisely reinvested.

Crystal Palace even bid £15m for Ben Doak in January – a player Liverpool signed from Celtic for just £600,000 – to give an example of this savviness in the market.

On the topic of recruitment, let’s take a look at the ten most expensive signings in the history of Liverpool – surprisingly, there is no room for Mohamed Salah, who was a total bargain at £34m.

10 – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

• £40m
• Arsenal to Liverpool (August 2017)

Liverpool moved to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in a £40m switch from Arsenal back in August 2017, after the England international turned down the chance to join Chelsea.

The Southampton academy graduate did well for the Reds, memorably scoring twice at Anfield against Manchester City in that 4-3 Premier League win and the 3-0 UEFA Champions League victory.

9 – Diogo Jota

• £41m
• Wolves to Liverpool (September 2020)

Diogo Jota was another savvy signing by Liverpool.

After consistently impressing for Wolves, Liverpool paid £41m to sign the Portugal international in September 2020, and he has since netted 64 goals in 167 appearances for the Reds.

8 – Fabinho

• £43.7m
• Monaco to Liverpool (May 2018)

Jurgen Klopp moved to bring Fabinho to Merseyside straight after losing the 2018 UEFA Champions League final to Real Madrid – with the Brazilian injecting a bit of steel into Liverpool’s midfield.

The £43.7m man ended up playing a key role as Liverpool won the 2019 UEFA Champions League with a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in Madrid.

7 – Naby Keita

• £52.75m
• RB Leipzig to Liverpool (August 2017)

Liverpool were so keen to sign Naby Keita ahead of Barcelona and others, that they agreed to pay a small premium on the Guinean’s £48m release clause and loan him back to RB Leipzig for the 2017/18 season.

Unfortunately, the midfielder struggled with injuries during his time at Anfield, and left for free in June 2023.

6 – Dominik Szoboszlai

• £60m
• RB Leipzig to Liverpool (July 2023)

The arrival of Dominik Szoboszlai signalled a new era under Klopp – who practically changed his entire midfield in the summer of 2023, moving on from the likes of Jordan Henderson, Keita and James Milner.

Liverpool spent £60m to lure the Hungary international to Merseyside, where he has scored 12 goals and provided nine assists in 77 appearances so far.

5 – Darwin Nunez

• £64m
• Benfica to Liverpool (June 2022)

With Mane and Roberto Firmino failing to match the longevity of Salah, Darwin Nunez signalled the next significant change to the attack, six months after Diaz arrived.

Liverpool showed a lot of faith in the Uruguay international, splashing £64m to sign him from Benfica, although the South American remains very much a work in progress with 39 goals in 129 games for the Reds.

4 – Alisson Becker

• £66.8m
• Roma to Liverpool (July 2018)

Alisson Becker turned Liverpool from a decent side into a formidable outfit.

The likes of Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius often let Klopp down in his early days at Liverpool, so it was no surprise to see a then world record fee for a goalkeeper spent to lure the Brazilian glovesman to Anfield.

At the time of writing, Alisson boasts a remarkable 123 clean sheets in 284 appearances for Liverpool – even scoring one goal.

3 – Virgil van Dijk

• £75m
• Southampton to Liverpool (January 2018)

Like Alisson, Virgil van Dijk was also a transformative signing for Liverpool, helping Klopp rely less on the inconsistent Dejan Lovren.

The Dutchman even won the UEFA Player of the Year award ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in August 2019 – with many of the opinion nowadays that the Liverpool No.4 is the best defender the Premier League has ever seen.

For one, Michael Dawson feels Van Dijk is the greatest ever in his position.

2 – Florian Wirtz

• £116m
• Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool (June 2025)

Liverpool went big in the 2025 summer transfer window, looking to bolster their attack with some big signings.

Among them was Florian Wirtz, who Liverpool paid £116 million to sign from Bayer Leverkusen, in the hope that he would bring that extra bit of creativity to the midfield.

1 – Alexander Isak

• £125m
• Newcastle to Liverpool (September 2025)

On summer 2025’s transfer deadline day, Liverpool shocked the world when they finalised the signing of Alexander Isak.

The striker joined from Newcastle in a move worth roughly £125 million, breaking the Premier League’s transfer record for the most expensive signing.