Over the last decade, Paris Saint-Germain have established themselves as a major force in European football, largely due to their enormous transfer spending which has seen them dominate the French Ligue 1 with nine titles in the last eleven years.
Since Qatar Sports Investments acquired the club in 2011, PSG have arguably become the most financially powerful football club in the world, famously completing the two most expensive transfers in history in the same summer.
Soccernet.football takes a look at the ten most expensive PSG signings of all time.
10. Ousmane Dembele – €50m (2023)
Ousmane Dembele joined PSG last summer from Barcelona for €50.4 million, less than half of what the Catalan club paid to sign him from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, a testament to the underwhelming trajectory of his career. The injuries and inconsistencies which plagued his Barca career followed him down to Paris as he only managed to start just 17 Ligue 1 games last season, scoring three goals and providing eight assists.
9. Joao Neves – €59.6m (2024)
PSG have acquired the highly rated 19-year-old as a replacement for out of favour Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte who looks likely to be on his way out despite only joining Les Parisiens last summer. Neves has been tipped to become the next big thing in that central defensive midfield position and the Ligue 1 champions will feel that they have conducted a great piece of business, signing such an immense talent for less than €60m in this inflated transfer market.
8. Manuel Ugarte – €60m (2023)
Ugarte arrived in the French capital last summer with high expectations but failed to deliver after impressing at Sporting CP with his ball-winning ability and precise passing. Just a year on and PSG have upgraded the position with the signing of Neves with reports claiming the Ligue 1 champions may soon ship the Uruguayan off to Manchester United.
7. Angel Di Maria – €63m (2015)
Di Maria joined PSG from Manchester United in the summer of 2015 after just one season in the Premier League. United had set a British record when they bought the Argentinian winger from Real Madrid, but despite some promising early performances, he never settled in England and pushed for a move to PSG where he thrived, scoring 92 goals in 295 games over seven years and winning five Ligue 1 titles.
6. Edinson Cavani – €64.5m (2013)
Cavani was among Europe’s most sought-after strikers when PSG signed him for €64.5 million in 2013. The Uruguayan had built a reputation as a prolific and versatile scorer during his time at Palermo and Napoli.
Despite often playing out of position due to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s presence as PSG’s main striker, Cavani lived up to expectations. He scored an impressive 200 goals in 301 games for PSG, including a career-best 49 goals in 50 games during the 2016-17 season, before leaving to join Manchester United as a free agent in 2020.
5. Goncalo Ramos – €65m (2023)
PSG initially signed the Portuguese on loan from Benfica in 2022 before going ahead to trigger the €65m buy option clause in their deal with the Portuguese club last summer despite Ramos’ underwhelming loan spell at the French capital. The Portugal international showed a lot of promise at Benfica but has yet to really hit the ground at PSG.
4. Achraf Hakimi – €68m (2021)
PSG made the Moroccan their marquee signing of the 2021 summer transfer window. Following an impressive loan season at Borussia Dortmund, Hakimi moved to Serie A where he played a crucial role in Inter securing their first league title in over a decade. As a result, he arrived in Paris as one of the most celebrated and expensive defenders in European football.
3. Randal Kolo Muani – €95m (2023)
A very huge investment that is yet to bear fruit for the Ligue 1 champions, Kolo Muani failed to replicate the form that convinced Les Parisiens to splash such a huge amount for his signature. Still only 25 years old and with the ability to play anywhere across the front line, the Frenchman could still prove to be a worthy investment for PSG in the coming years.
2. Kylian Mbappe – €180m (2017)
Mbappe initially joined PSG in 2017 on loan from Monaco, though the deal was structured to effectively function as a transfer. The 2018 World Cup winner became the club’s all-time leading scorer, with 256 goals in 308 games, and spearheaded six Ligue 1 triumphs. The 25-year-old forward has now called time on his spell at the Parc des Princes and is set to open a new chapter at the Santiago Bernabeu with Real Madrid.
1 Neymar Jnr – €222m (2017)
PSG stunned the footballing world when they activated the jaw-dropping €222 million release clause in Neymar’s Barcelona contract, a fee which set a new world transfer record that is unlikely to be broken anytime soon.
The Brazilian’s time at the French capital was somewhat underwhelming as he only played more than 20 Ligue 1 games in a season once and couldn’t lead Les Parisiens to a Champions League title. He however scored 118 goals in 173 games and won five Ligue 1 titles.