The Premier League is the richest league in the world with some of the richest clubs in the world.
Mammoth sponsorship and broadcast deals, and the biggest concentration of elite clubs means that money pours into the organisation and, in turn, the clubs themselves.
No top-flight spends money quite like the Premier League. For example, in the summer of 2020 alone £1.3 billion was spent on new recruits, with Chelsea shouldering the biggest share of that bill following their spending spree.
Even though the Coronavirus pandemic is ongoing, with the likes of Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid having to cut costs, the elite sides in England continue to spend freely.
The Blues and Manchester City have spent exorbitantly under rich new owners over the past two decades, with Manchester United have spent lavishly to try and reclaim some glory after the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
And, now, of course we have another superpower that has arrived on the scene; Newcastle United, whose new Saudi owners are the richest in world football. So we can expect many more massive signings in 2022 and beyond.
What are the biggest transfer fees in Premier League history?10. Kai Havertz - £72m (from Leverkusen to Chelsea, 2020)
Though it was not seen as a gamble of sorts when made Kai Havertz their most expensive signing of all time, the fee was seen as exorbitant for a then 21-year-old.
Havertz hasn't actually been at his best at Stamford Bridge so far and was in and out of the team under Lampard and then Tuchel initially.
He grew into things in the latter part of his debut campaign and it actually doesn't even really matter how he does in the rest of his career with the Blues as he has already written himself into the history books.
In the 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City in, he scored the only goal of the game to bring the trophy back to London, so Abramovich will consider this deal as money well spent indeed.
9. Kepa Arrizabalaga - £72m (from Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea, 2018)
Due to their policy of only fielding players from the Basque region, it’s extremely expensive to pry players away from Athletic Bilbao, as Chelsea found out with Kepa Arrizabalaga.
A world-record fee for a goalkeeper was agreed as the club needed a replacement for the Real Madrid-bound Thibaut Courtois, but it’s not gone to plan.
Under Sarri, Kepa was average at best; he wasn’t awful, he looked promising, but certainly not world class. In 2019-20, however, it was another story.
He had the lowest save percentage of goalkeepers in the league, conceding 47 Premier League goals whilst making just 1.7 saves per 90, the least of any ‘keeper with more than one appearance in the league. He then lost his first-team place and never recaptured it.
8. Nicolas Pepe - £72m (from Lille to Arsenal, 2019)
For £72m you'd expect a world-beater, which Nicolas Pepe hasn't been, so far.
The Ivorian scored just five Premier League goals in his first season, but doubled his tally second time round. However, the improvement coincided with a decline from five assists to just one.
Pepe has ran hot and cold since his arrival from Ligue 1, and has certainly struggled under the pressure of his price tag.
7. Jadon Sancho - £73m (from Dortmund to Man Utd, 2021)
After one of the longest transfer sagas in recent memory, Manchester United finally signed Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.
The Red Devils had been locked in negotiations with the German giants for well over a year with regards to the England international, having failed initially to sign him in the summer of 2020.
Dortmund remained firm on their £100 million valuation of the player, but the club eventually settled for a lesser fee at £73m.
Sancho was viewed as the final piece of the attacking puzzle at Old Trafford but so far he has struggled badly.
6. Virgil van Dijk - £74.2m (from Southampton to Liverpool, 2018)
Arguably the most important signing in Liverpool's recent history, Virgil van Dijk changed the fortunes of the club for the better after his arrival from Southampton in January 2018.
He guided them to the Champions League final in his first six months, and followed that up by winning the competition the next year.
Becoming the best centre-back in the world, Van Dijk was the runner-up in the 2019 Ballon d'Or and his leadership and distribution at the back was potentially the most important part of their title winning team.
His importance was highlighted by the Reds' poor form in 2020/21 once he was sidelined through a knee injury he suffered in the Merseyside derby.
It's not often that a £75m players is deemed a bargain, but Van Dijk has proven to be one since his swapped St Mary's for Anfield.
5. Romelu Lukaku - £75m (from Everton to Man Utd, 2017)
Romelu Lukaku had a very up and down time at Man Utd, joining for a hefty sum of money after a series of great seasons at Everton.
The Belgian scored 16 and 12 goals in his two Premier League seasons at the club, respectively, before leaving and going on to greater heights at Inter.
All in all, two relatively decent seasons and a sale that recouped most of the fee that was parted with for him, he wasn't the colossal failure he is sometimes made out to be.
He has spoken of his disillusionment of being made a scapegoat during his time at Old Trafford which partly led to his departure.
Lukaku certainly had Man Utd wondering if they made the correct decision in letting him go due to his outstanding performances for Inter.
4. Harry Maguire - £80m (from Leicester City to Man Utd, 2019)
It was 18 months after Liverpool made Virgil van Dijk the most expensive defender in history when Man Untd broke that record by taking Harry Maguire from Leicester.
It took the Englishman just half a season to become the permanent United captain, and despite initial concerns over the fee he has become one of the first names on Solskjaer’s team sheet.
Maguire’s impact on the team was felt more so when he was not in the line-up in his first two seasons as he largely performed well.
However, his form dipped badly in the 2021-22 season.
3. Paul Pogba - £89m (from Juventus to Man Utd, 2016)
Paul Pogba made his widely publicised return to the Red Devils in the summer of 2016 for a world-record transfer fee at the time.
Another player that has come under intense scrutiny, largely because of the money spent on him, Pogba has frustrated fans with inconsistent performances.
When fit and firing, Pogba is certainly Pogba's most creative and influential player, even perhaps more so than Bruno Fernandes, but his yo-yo performances mean he has not yet convinced everyone.
He does tend to play a lot better for France than he does for Man Utd, and that can perhaps be attributed to the fact that he doesn't have a set position at Old Trafford, having been utilised as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder, and even on the wing.
He is likely to leave on a Bosman transfer for a second time at the end of the 2021-22 season.
2. Romelu Lukaku - £96m (from Inter to Chelsea, 2021)
After signing for Chelsea from Anderlecht at a young age Lukaku would move out on loan to West Brom and then Everton before joining the Toffees permanently.
He would star for Everton before earning the aforementioned£75m transfer to Manchester United.
While he was by no means a flop at Old Trafford, he eventually fell out of favour and joined Inter in 2019, saying afterwards he felt he was made a scapegoat by some at the Red Devils for their failings on the pitch.
He would rebuild his reputation at Inter and find his best form to eventually earn a sensational return to Chelsea for £96m
1. Jack Grealish - £100m (from Aston Villa to Man City, 2021)
Jack Grealish emerged as one of the most exciting players in the
Premier League and in 2020/21 recorded the third-highest tally of assists in the top-flight despite missing three months of action.
Even before the 2020 European Championship started he was the subject of interest from both Manchester City and Manchester United, who were looking into the possibility of a £100m transfer.
His stock rose during the Euros, too, as he came off the bench to play a role in both goals as England defeated Germany in the first knockout stage.
Eventually, Man City stepped up their efforts, and signed him for a British record fee.