FC Barcelona's Top 5 most expensive signings of all-time

FC Barcelona has always been one of the giants in the football transfer market in swooping talents to empower the squad every other season. The club paid astronomical fees for some players who lived up to the price tag but some failed miserably.

In this article, we present the 5 most expensive signings in the history of FC Barcelona.

5. Frenkie de Jong | €86M | 2019-20

Frenkie De Jong was a crucial part of Erik Ten Hag's formidable Ajax side that made it to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in the 2018-19 season. After dropping masterclass performances throughout that season, the Dutch midfielder became one of the topmost priorities for many European clubs in the summer transfer market of 2019.

FC Barcelona ultimately roped him in from Ajax after cracking the initial deal of €75M and then with €11 add-ons, making it a total transfer package of €86M. 

Frenkie initially took time to settle in Barcelona as the coach at that time, Ernesto Valverde left the club in January 2020 and his successor Quique Setién was sacked after the famous 2-8 defeat against Bayern in August 2020. 

However, Frenkie missed numerous matches since his arrival for his injury-proneness, but he was instrumental in winning the 2022-23 La Liga playing under Xavi. He has also won the Copa Del Rey 2020-21 and the Supercopa De Espana in 2023 for the Blaugranas. Currently, he is struggling with an ankle injury and is out of the squad. 

4. Neymar Jr. | €88M | 2013-14

The Brazilian Phenomenon, Neymar Jr. engraved his name as one of the greatest signings FC Barcelona has ever made. Barcelona paid a total of €88M to the Brazilian side Santos to bring Neymar to Camp Nou in the summer of 2013 and it actually turned out to be one of the handful of big-money signings that justified its price tag. 

Spending four years at the club, Neymar scored 105 goals and provided 76 assists in 186 matches and won the famous 2014-15 UEFA Champions League in the Blaugrana shirt. He also won two LaLigas for the Catalan giants in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. Neymar along with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez formed the iconic 'M-S-N' trio that scared every defence line at that time. 

Before leaving the club in 2017 in a world-record deal worth €222M to move to Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar won 9 trophies with Barcelona and he was one of the most crucial players of the squad in each campaign. Neymar Jr. remains one of the greatest players ever to don the Barca shirt to date. 

Read Also | Football facts: Brazil fails without Neymar! These stats prove that

3. Antoine Griezmann | €120M | 2019-20

This is one of the transfers with a humongous fee but did not live up to the price tag at all. Antoine Griezmann was signed by Barcelona in the summer window of 2019 in a shock move from La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid after triggering his release clause of €120M.

However, even after being one of the most exceptional footballers at that time, the Frenchman could not fit himself into Barcelona's traditional system of playing the game. He was well-adapted as a second striker and forward in Atletico Madrid but continually struggled with his form in Barcelona's system and he only scored 35 goals and made 17 assists in 102 games for FC Barcelona. 

Griezmann played under different coaches such as Ernesto Valverde and Ronald Koeman but the poor gameplans and mismanagement got the better of him. The player moved out of Barcelona in 2021 in a loan move back to his previous club Atletico Madrid.

In 2023, Madrid signed him permanently from Barcelona and the story ended between the talented Frenchman and the Catalan club which remains one of the worst transfers of all time. 

Read Also | Antoine Griezmann retires from International football: A throwback to his journey

2. Ousmane Dembele | €147M | 2017-18

Ousmane Dembele announced himself as one of the finest young talents in 2017 after he had a remarkable season with Borussia Dortmund. The French winger was eyed by FC Barcelona officials as a potential replacement for Neymar Jr. and the club welcomed him after paying a hefty fee of €105M initially and paying €42m add-ons. 

However, a transfer worth a total package of €147M did not even come close to live up to the price tag as Dembele continued to suffer because of his series of injuries. He spent six seasons at FC Barcelona scoring 40 goals and making 43 assists across all competitions. 

Dembele has a 3-times LaLiga winning honour by his name but his most significant contribution came in Barcelona's LaLiga-winning campaign in the 2022-23 season. The Frenchman started to play a lot better under coach Xavi, but he moved to PSG in 2023 after Barcelona sold him for €50M.

1. Philippe Coutinho | €160M | 2017-18

This is another blockbuster transfer that remains the most expensive signing for FC Barcelona but went all wrong in every possible way. Philippe Coutinho was welcomed by the Catalan giants in January 2018 after they paid his former club Liverpool a club-record fee of €120M with €40M potential add-ons, making it a monetary package of €160M. 

The Brazilian forward came to Barcelona after proving himself very well in the Premier League while playing for Liverpool FC but failed miserably in the Catalan club. He managed to have 25 goals and 14 assists in 106 games for FC Barcelona across four and a half seasons. 

Read Also | 5 Craziest Football Transfers of All-time

However, he was part of Barcelona squads that won two LaLigas and two Spanish Cups but could never make any significant impact for the team. The highlight of his time at FC Barcelona was when he scored two goals for Bayern Munich against FC Barcelona in the 2019-20 UCL quarter-final whilst being on loan from the Catalan club.

After his spells of continuous failure, the Catalan club offloaded Countinho by selling him to Aston Villa for €20M in 2022. He spent some time in Qatari side Al-Duhail SC and now plays on loan for the Brazilian side Vasco Da Gama.