Chelsea, since the new millennium, has cemented itself as one of the most successful English football teams, but what are the top 5 most expensive Chelsea FC transfers?
A financial takeover catapulted them to six Premier League titles, two UEFA Champions League and an array of other trophies.
The Blues have been known to spend a more than healthy amount of cash of some of the biggest names in world football, and we’ll be looking at them in this article!
Here are the top 5 most expensive Chelsea FC transfers in the history of the club, including players from La Liga, Serie A and beyond.
5) Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid (2017)
After a successful stint in La Liga during the 2016/17 season, Chelsea splashed the cash as they welcomed Spanish forward Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid for what was a record transfer at the time.
Morata had a strong first season for the Blues, getting 17 goal contributions in the Premier League, 11 of these being goals. However, his second season wouldn’t be as impressive, netting only 5 times in 16 starts.
During his time at Chelsea, Morata won a UEFA Europa League and an FA Cup. The following year Morata would head back to Spain and join Atletico Madrid.
Overall, Morata cost the London side £60 million in transfer fees.
4) Marc Cucurella from Brighton (2022)
Chelsea made a statement during their first season owned by Boehly by buying one of the most talked about defenders in the league. After a highly impressive debut campaign for Graham Potter’s Brighton, Marc Cucurella was linked with top teams around the world.
The Spanish fullback was Brighton’s player of the season and was pivotal in securing a very impressive 9th-place finish before the move to London.
Cucurella is currently the most expensive signing of the Boehly era, and if his performances are like the standard they were at Brighton, then he will be worth every penny.
Overall, the player cost Chelsea around £62 million in transfer fees!
3) Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao (2018)
Chelsea required a replacement due to the departure of number-one goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who was to join Spanish giants Real Madrid.
The Blues would splash the cash and set a new transfer record for a goalkeeper, signing Kepa Arrizabalaga for an estimated £71 million.
The price tag was so high due to Arrizabalaga being a part of a strict policy that sees Athletic Bilbao only able to field Basque players.
Kepa’s Chelsea career can be described as…hasn’t quite gone to play, with the Spanish goalkeeper going from number one under Sarri and now serving as a backup to Edouard Mendy under Thomas Tuchel.
2) Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen (2020)
Fans believed it was a huge gamble to spend such a lucrative sum for such a young player, and Kai Havertz took a while to adapt to life at Chelsea but in recent times has cemented himself as one of the first names on Thomas Tuchel’s teamsheet.
The German forward has also been crucial in some of the biggest moments in the history of Chelsea FC. For example, he was the decisive factor that saw Chelsea defeat fellow English side Manchester City to bring the UEFA Champions League back to London.
With a price tag of £72 million, it certainly was a gamble to spend the second-highest amount in club history, but it’s looking like the gamble may well pay off!
1) Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan (2021)
The signing of Lukaku in 2021 was a statement to the Premier League. With a transfer fee of around £97.7 million, he became the biggest signing in the club’s history.
After hitting 64 goals in 95 games for Inter Milan and helping guide them to a Serie A title, the huge price tag matched the ability of the player, especially in today’s market.
It didn’t take long for Lukaku to get off the mark, scoring within 15 minutes against Arsenal. However, his morale soon declined, and it was showing on the pitch. Lukaku would score 8 Premier League goals and publicly express his intention to go back to Milan.
Lukaku’s request was finally granted, and he joined Inter on loan for the 2022/23 Serie A campaign.