Premier League transfer record: Where Enzo Fernandez to Man City ranks among biggest ever deals

Premier League transfer record: Where Enzo Fernandez to Man City ranks among biggest ever deals originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Manchester City wrapped up their long pursuit of Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez shortly before the transfer deadline on September 1.

Argentina international Fernandez has been a major target for Enzo Maresca, who has overseen the latest stage of an extensive rebuild at City as he begins his first season at the helm.

The transfer fee of £125m ($169m) makes Fernandez the first player in history to move for in excess of £100m twice, following his 2023 move from Benfica to Chelsea.

But where does the Fernandez move rank in overall Premier League history as England's top flight continues to lead the way globally in terms of huge transfer outlay in the modern era?

MORE:Ballon d’Or power rankings: Rodri, Messi, Harry Kane among favorites to win

Biggest transfers in Premier League history

Fernandez is now the joint-most expensive player in British history. The £125m fee comes in alongside the deal that took Alexander Isak from Newcastle United to Liverpool in 2025.

Liverpool's August 2026 swoop for Bradley Barcola could be worth £123m if all add-ons are met.

Aston Villa signing off on Morgan Rogers' move to Chelsea this summer made him the most expensive English player of all time.

Rogers' 2026 World Cup teammate Elliot Anderson briefly held this distinction after Nottingham Forest reached an agreement to sell the midfielder to Manchester City.

Top 10 transfers in Premier League history

*All prices include reported performance-related add-ons at the time of the transfer

RankPlayerFromToFeeDate1.Alexander IsakNewcastleLiverpool£125mSeptember 2025=Enzo FernandezChelseaManchester City£125mSeptember 20263.Bradley BarcolaPSGLiverpool£123mAugust 20264.Morgan RogersAston VillaChelsea£117mJuly 20265.Elliot AndersonNottingham ForestManchester City£116mJuly 2026=Florian WirtzBayer LeverkusenLiverpool£116mJune 20257.Moises CaicedoBrightonChelsea£115mAugust 20238.Enzo FernandezBenfica Chelsea£106.8mJanuary 20239.Declan RiceWest Ham Arsenal£105mJuly 202310.Jack GrealishAston VillaManchester City£100mAugust 2022=Sandro TonaliNewcastleTottenham£100mJuly 2026

Anderson's £116m ($153m) move matched the overall value of Florian Wirtz's switch from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool in June 2025, a British record fee that was dwarfed by the arrival of Isak at Anfield in the same transfer window.

All of the top 10 biggest Premier League transfers have occurred within the past four years, with Jack Grealish's August 2022 move to City - when he became British football's first £100m player - the oldest entry on the list.

Chelsea, City and Liverpool have all made three £ 100 million-plus signings each.

Grealish and Rogers mean Aston Villa have the joint-most sales on the list alongside Newcastle United, who followed the protracted Isak saga with a more straightforward and surprisingly lucrative agreement to take Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur.

Most expensive transfers in football history

Neymar and Kylian Mbappe's gargantuan moves to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 still lead the way in terms of the overall global transfer record. They are unlikely to be overhauled any time soon. 

Aside from that, though, the Premier League dominates the top 10 all-time list, with six of the purchases listed.

Fernandez slots in as the joint-third-most expensive player in history. Coincidentally, his move to City knocks his transfer from Benfica to Chelsea out of the top 10.

Most expensive transfers in football historyRankPlayerFromToFeeDate1.NeymarBarcelonaPSG£198m ($252m)August 20172.Kylian MbappeAS MonacoPSG£163.3m ($207.5m)August 20173. Alexander IsakNewcastleLiverpool£125m ($170m)September 2025=Enzo FernandezChelseaMan City£125m ($169m)September 20265.Bradley BarcolaPSGLiverpool£123m ($166m)August 20266.Morgan RogersAston VillaChelsea£117m ($157m)July 20267 Elliot AndersonNottingham ForestMan City£116m ($153m)July 20268.Florian WirtzBayer LeverkusenLiverpool£116m ($135m)June 20259.Moises CaicedoBrightonChelsea£115m ($147m)August 202310.Joao FelixBenficaAtletico Madrid£113m ($143.5m)July 2019