1. Neymar – Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain
On 3 August 2017, Barcelona announced that Neymar’s legal representatives made a payment of €222 million to the club, equal to the release clause of his contract, which constituted the most expensive transfer ever. According to the BBC, in Spain, the release clause must be activated by the footballer himself. The situation was unusual, in that the fee was paid to the club directly, after La Liga had refused to receive the payment.
Usually, the buyout clause is deposited with La Liga in order to release the player from his contract, and the league then passes the money to the selling club. Neymar joined French club Paris Saint-Germain on a contract that would run until 2022. He was offered the number 10 jersey by Javier Pastore as a “welcome gift”.
Transfer fee: €222 million
SEE ALSO:
- Top 10 Highest Scoring Defenders in The Past 10 Years
- Top 10 Most Expensive Transfers between Premier League clubs
- Champions League top scorer 2019: see all UEFA CL top scorers 2019/20!
- Top 10 Best Defenders In Football of All Time
