Chelsea and Todd Boehly have splashed the cash in recent years on a number of new players, with the Blues winning the Club World Cup in 2025. Following their triumph in the USA, those at Stamford Bridge once again spent big in the transfer window.
Here at Football FanCast, we’ve taken a look at Chelsea’s most expensive signings in their history, as per Transfermarkt and news reports, with a detailed look at the top 10.
Moises Caicedo
£115m
Brighton
2023
Enzo Fernandez
£107m
Benfica
2023
Romelu Lukaku
£97.5m
Inter
2021
Kepa Arrizabalaga
£71m
Athletic Club
2018
Kai Havertz
£71m
Bayer Leverkusen
2020
Wesley Fofana
£70m
Leicester
2022
Mykhailo Mudryk
£62m
Shakhtar Donetsk
2023
Marc Cucurella
£60m
Brighton
2022
Alvaro Morata
£60m
Real Madrid
2017
Joao Pedro
£60m
Brighton
2025
Romeo Lavia
£58m
Southampton
2023
Christian Pulisic
£58m
Borussia Dortmund
2019
Pedro Neto
£54m
Wolves
2024
Christopher Nkunku
£52m
RB Leipzig
2023
Fernando Torres
£50m
Liverpool
2011
Jorginho
£50m
Napoli
2018
Jamie Gittens
£48.5m
Borussia Dortmund
2025
Raheem Sterling
£47.5m
Manchester City
2022
Timo Werner
£47.5m
RB Leipzig
2020
Joao Felix
£46.3m
Atletico Madrid
2024
Here's a detailed look at Chelsea's 10 most expensive signings: 10 Joao Pedro £60m from Brighton
Chelsea’s biggest signing in 2025 was centre-forward Joao Pedro, who was signed in time to link up with the Blues during their Club World Cup campaign.
The Brazilian became an instant hit with his goals in the USA, and he is under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2033.
9 Alvaro Morata £60m from Real Madrid
The oldest arrival in this top 10 is Alvaro Morata, who joined Chelsea in a club-record £60m transfer from Real Madrid back in 2017. The striker’s move to England ultimately didn’t work out, though, with the Spaniard returning to La Liga with Atletico Madrid on loan in 2019 before making that move permanent a year later.
Morata is currently the captain of the Spanish national team and scored 24 goals in 72 games for the Blues.
8 Marc Cucurella £60m from Brighton
Chelsea won the race ahead of Manchester City to sign left-back Marc Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022 for just over £60m, with the Spaniard making the left-back role his own at Stamford Bridge.
A former Barcelona youngster, Cucurella impressed in his first year in England with the Seagulls under Graham Potter, and the pair would soon be reunited when the Blues brought in the latter as manager a month later.
7 Mykhailo Mudryk £62m from Shakhtar Donetsk
Chelsea swooped in ahead of Arsenal to sign winger Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023 for £62m, with the Ukraine international signing a huge eight-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
His Chelsea deal could reach a total of £89m, but having not had much success thus far, Shakhtar look set to miss out on nearly £30m worth of bonuses.
6 Wesley Fofana £70m from Leicester City
Centre-back Wesley Fofana was brought to Stamford Bridge from Leicester City in 2022, but the Frenchman’s stay with Chelsea so far has been hampered by injury.
However, considering he signed a seven-year deal, the Blues still have plenty of time to get the best out of the Frenchman, who cost the west Londoners a handsome £70m – proving Leicester sure know how to get a decent sum for a promising centre-back.
5 Kai Havertz £71m from Bayer Leverkusen
Versatile attacker Kai Havertz was brought to England by Chelsea in 2020, joining in a big-money £71m deal from Bayer Leverkusen.
The German went on to score the winning goal for the Blues in the 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City before being sold to rivals Arsenal in 2023, with Chelsea bringing in the majority of the fee they spent on the player.
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ByCharlie SmithOct 8, 2025 4 Kepa Arrizabalaga £71m from Athletic Club
Kepa Arrizabalaga is the most expensive goalkeeper in history, but he only sits 4th in Chelsea’s record signings list, showing the Blues’ spending power in the years that have followed.
Famously remembered in a Chelsea shirt for refusing to be substituted in extra time of an EFL Cup final under Maurizio Sarri, Kepa signed for the Blues back in 2018 from Athletic Club for just over £71m and was allowed to join Arsenal for just £5m in 2025.
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ByStephan GeorgiouFeb 8, 2024 3 Romelu Lukaku £97.5m from Inter
Striker Romelu Lukaku returned to Chelsea for a second Stamford Bridge stint back in 2021, with the Blues paying Inter what was a club-record fee of £97.5m for the Belgian.
It appeared to be a masterstroke at first, with Lukaku scoring freely back in a Chelsea shirt, but over time, it has proven to be a costly mistake, with the player spending recent years on loan in Italy with Inter and Roma before finally being sold by Chelsea for the second time, this time to Napoli.
2 Enzo Fernandez £107m from Benfica
Midfielder Enzo Fernandez joined Chelsea in a £107m deal from Benfica in 2023 shortly after winning the World Cup with Argentina.
It was a British record at the time, and although the midfielder is arguably still working to pay off that price tag, he has become a vital member of the team under Enzo Maresca, wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of Reece James.
1 Moises Caicedo £115m from Brighton
Central midfielder Moises Caicedo only made 53 appearances for Brighton & Hove Albion between 2021 and 2023, but that was enough for Chelsea to spend big on the Ecuador international.
The Blues won the race ahead of Liverpool for Caicedo, who endured a tough start to life at Stamford Bridge before eventually showing his best form. He’s under contract until 2031, so he has plenty of time to become an important Chelsea star.
