Manchester City took transfer spending to a new level after the takeover in 2009.
Just hours after the new owners came into place, City smashed the British transfer record to sign Robinho for £32.5million. It’s fair to say City have come a long way since the Brazilian arrived, with their transfer strategy a much more slick operation these days.
The former City forward is no longer even in their top ten most expensive buys – that’s football for you. But who is their record signing?
Who is the most expensive Man City player of all time?
The title of Manchester City’s most expensive signing goes to Jack Grealish who cost £100million when signed from Aston Villa in 2021.
That deal also made Grealish the most expensive English player in history, although this was later equalled by Declan Rice, who joined Arsenal from West Ham for a similar amount two years later.
Grealish, 29, was not only the first England player to move for the landmark fee, but also the first ever Manchester City buy to cost £100m.
Who held the all time record transfer fee for a Manchester City player before Grealish?
City’s next most expensive signing after Grealish is Josko Gvardiol. Gvardiol moved for £ 77 million from RB Leipzig, a record transfer fee for a defender in history.
But that move took place in 2023, two years after Grealish arrived at the Etihad. The previous record holder was actually Rodri who left Atletico for City for £62.8m.
Kevin De Bruyne broke the record back in 2015, joining for £55million, although most City fans probably agree it has been money well spent, with the Belgian international set to complete a decade of outstanding service next summer.
Raheem Sterling was previously the record buy, signing from Liverpool for £49million – but only holding the top spot for six weeks before De Bruyne’s signing.
| Rank | Price | Player | From | To |
| 1 | £100m | Jack Grealish | Aston Villa | Manchester City |
| 2 | £77m | Josko Gvardiol | RB Leipzig | Manchester City |
| 3 | £66.8m | Rodri | Atletico Madrid | Manchester City |
| 4 | £61.4m | Ruben Dias | Benfica | Manchester City |
| 5 | £60m | Riyad Mahrez | Leicester City | Manchester City |
| 6 | £60m | Joao Cancelo | Juventus | Manchester City |
| 7 | £57m | Aymeric Laporte | Athletic Bilbao | Manchester City |
| 8 | £55m | Kevin De Bruyne | Wolfsburg | Manchester City |
| 9 | £53m | Matheus Nunes | Wolves | Manchester City |
| 10 | £49m | Raheem Sterling | Liverpool | Manchester City |
