The official transfer of Elliot Anderson to Manchester City has been finalized, making him one of the priciest signings in Premier League history.
The English national player completed his medical examination at the squad's headquarters in Kansas and plans to travel to Manchester to finalize details after the World Cup concludes.
It signifies a massive sum of money and places him extremely high on the list of top transfer fees ever recorded, but how does this affect English players? This is where Anderson comes into play.
8. Anthony Gordon – £80 million
Sources are citing different fee amounts for Gordon's upcoming transfer to Barcelona, but regardless of whether it's €70 million or €80 million (the gap seems to depend on additional clauses), he remains at the same position in this ranking.
Closing in on Raheam Sterling's move from Liverpool to Manchester City, Mason Mount's switch from Chelsea to Manchester United, and Dominic Solanké's transition from Bournemouth to Tottenham (each around €64 million), Gordon is poised to be the seventh priciest English player ever.
Is he deserving of the cost? We have questions but we could observe his growth on the continent. Consider Michael Olise, Raphinha, and Luis Díaz. Each has elevated their performance after joining a leading European top-tier club.
7. Jadon Sancho - £85 million
It seems like ages since Sancho was considered among the brightest talents in Europe and regularly featured in daily transfer speculation reports.
While his previous teammates at Borussia Dortmund, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland, fulfilled expectations by playing key parts in UEFA Champions League victories, Sancho did not achieve similar success during his time at Manchester United.
His failed penalty during the Euro 2020 final that summer marked the beginning of a difficult period, and remarkably, he has featured just as often for the Three Lions as Patrick Bamford (both starting once against Andorra) since his highly anticipated, expensive transfer to Old Trafford.
Strangely enough, Sancho has participated in all three major European finals — the Champions League, Conference League, and Europa League — over recent years while being temporarily assigned from Manchester United, yet it wasn’t until his short return to Dortmund that he truly stood out as something beyond a backup option.
It has been reported that Manchester United are considering activating a one-year contract extension as an attempt to recover some of their financial setbacks during the summer transfer window; however, it seems that ending things cleanly and starting anew would be most beneficial for everyone involved right now.
6. Harry Maguire – £87 million
Old tough guy has experienced both good times and bad during his time at Manchester United, yet he has secured an extended deal and solidified his status as a fan favorite.
The (previous?) England star still holds the title of the most costly defender ever. Not only in England, but for every defender globally. End of story. What an odd sport.
5. Harry Kane – £100 million
"Harry Kane is the finest signing we've ever executed," said Bayern Munich's honorary president Uli Hoeness recently. Das Erste.
Bayern function as a purchasing team, rather than a sales-oriented one.
It was considerable funds for an athlete nearing 30 without any major achievements, and those critical of Kane found amusement as his first season concluded without any trophies.
We began questioning if the England captain was truly unlucky following the rise of Xabi Alonso's unbeatable Bayer Leverkusen team, coming after Bayern's remarkable streak of 11 consecutive Bundesliga championships.
However, regular operations have returned, with Bayern once more exercising dominance at home – where Kane has filled the gap created by Robert Lewandowski, becoming their unquestioned top player and an unstopable scorer.
Kane recently secured his second European Golden Boot within three years, helped Bayern return as serious challengers in the Champions League, and is now at the forefront of the competition for this year's Ballon d'Or.
We've stopped keeping track of how many Transfers worth €100 million that have failed spectacularly but this is not among them.
4. Jude Bellingham – £103 million
Bellingham's three years at Real Madrid have been marked by mixed experiences.
He appeared worthy of the Ballon d'Or during his first season. A dynamic, midfield workhorse who seamlessly connected Karim Benzema with Kylian Mbappé. He secured the Champions League and La Liga titles and was likely their top performer in both competitions.
However, there have been two disappointing seasons without any trophies. Placing Bellingham with both Vinicius Junior and Mbappé has proven to be an enigma that Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso, and Álvaro Arbeloa have all struggled to solve.
Good luck, Jose Mourinho.
3. Declan Rice – £116 million
That worked out well, wasn't it?
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2. Jack Grealish – £117 million
There's some minor historical reinterpretation involved here.
The common belief is that Pep Guardiola drained the fun from Grealish's play, transforming him into a 'rest stop' for Manchester City under the Spanish manager's highly controlled approach.
Certainly, Grealish is not the unconventional showman that many expected Gareth Southgate to release for England anymore, yet at one point he played a significant part in Guardiola's squad. He had a great rapport with Erling Haaland and was one of their essential players during Manchester City's successful 2022-23 season where they won three titles.
Since then, he has strayed from his path, but there was a glimpse of his former brilliance during this season's loan at Everton, and Manchester City will definitely face a significant setback when he finally leaves. However, it would not be just to label a player who featured in 50 matches during a treble-winning year, including 90 minutes in a Champions League final, as a complete failure.
1. Elliot Anderson - £135 million
Andersson's newly closed transfer to Manchester City has resulted in him setting a new British transfer record, reportedly valued at €135 million (£116 million).
It surpasses the amount Manchester City spent on Grealish and also positions him as the second-costliest player in Premier League history, following only Alexander Isak. Florian Wirtz might end up being even more valuable if the £16.5 million clauses in his transfer are met.
Andersson now ranks fourth in the all-time expenditure rankings, following Isak, Kylian Mbappé, and Neymar.
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Who are the top 25 soccer players who have been transferred for the most money altogether?