France’s PSG pays €222 million for Neymar, topping Europe’s transfer fee records

Paris Saint‑Germain’s €222 million purchase of Neymar in 2017 remains the highest transfer fee ever paid by a European club. The deal is €74 million above Spain’s record, where Barcelona spent €148 million for Ousmane Dembélé. England follows closely with Liverpool’s €145 million signing of Alexander Isak, while Italy’s Juventus paid €117 million for Cristiano Ronaldo and Germany’s Bayern Munich €95 million for Harry Kane. Turkey’s Galatasaray completed the top six with a €75 million deal for Victor Osimhen.

Across 49 UEFA member associations the average record fee is €22.19 million, but the median is only €3.5 million, highlighting the concentration of spending in a few leagues. Sixteen countries have never recorded an incoming transfer exceeding €1 million, underscoring the disparity between the elite markets and smaller domestic competitions.