The 10 most expensive Serie A transfers of all time

The 10 most expensive Serie A transfers of all time Serie A was the best league in world football during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and it remains a fiercely competitive division, despite losing some of its pedigree. ’ dominance in the 2010s is now over and the Italian top flight is a hotly contested affair every single season. While Serie A clubs don’t have the financial power of those in the Premier League, Italian teams have still spent huge sums of money on new signings over the years. Below, sources runs through the 10 most expensive Serie A transfers of all time. READ MORE: 10. Gianluigi Buffon - €52.9m (Parma to Juventus, 2001) Gianluigi Buffon became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper when he left to join Juventus for a whopping €52.9m in 2001. However, he more than paid that transfer fee back during a total of 19 years at the club - including a two-year stint after returning from PSG in 2019. Buffon racked up 685 appearances for Juventus, keeping over 300 clean sheets and establishing himself as one of the best goalkeepers in football history. THREAD: Classic Gianluigi Buffon saves 🧤 🇮🇹 THAT @gianluigibuffon stop in 2003 final + Filippo Inzaghi's reaction 😱#UCL | @juventusfcen | #TBT pic.twitter.com/i3OrJjurQJ — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 28, 2021 9. Teun Koopmeiners - €54.7m (Atalanta to Juventus, 2024) One of seven Juventus players on this list, Koopmeiners remains at the club two years after he left Bergamo for Turin, though the Netherlands international midfielder's standing has decreased significantly over this period. He arrived with the reputation of producing elite attacking numbers from midfield, having scored 26 Serie A goals in the three years before his move. In 2023/24 alone, he scored 12 times in the league and weighed in with five assists. He has not come close to replicating those numbers, with just seven goals scored in two years. He has not found a settled role and has even been asked to play centre-back. 8. Hernan Crespo - €56.8m (Parma to Lazio, 2000) Hernan Crespo’s incredible form at Parma convinced to part ways with €56.8m to sign him in the summer of 2000. The Argentine forward went on to notch 48 goals in 73 Lazio games, before leaving to join for €40m in 2002. READ MORE: 7. Romelu Lukaku - €74m (Man Utd to Inter, 2019) was widely mocked during his time at Manchester United, but he found a home under Antonio Conte at Inter. The Belgian forward instantly hit the ground running in Italy and he netted 34 times during his debut campaign at San Siro. The following season, Lukaku helped Inter win the Scudetto for the first time since 2010. He subsequently left to re-join Chelsea for €113m in 2021, before returning to Inter on loan the following season. 6. Victor Osimhen - €77.5m (Lille to Napoli, 2020) smashed their transfer record to sign Lille’s in 2020, with the Nigerian arriving in Naples for just under €80m. Injuries impacted his first two campaigns at Napoli, but Osimhen was back to full fitness in 2022-23 and he scored 26 league goals as the club won the Serie A title for the first time in 33 years. After constant links with Chelsea and PSG, Osimhen joined Galatasaray on loan in 2024 and subsequently made the surprising move permanent. 5. Arthur Melo - €80.6m (Barcelona to Juventus, 2020) was involved in a lucrative swap deal with Miralem Pjanic as Juventus and Barcelona looked to balance the books from a financial perspective. The transfer was a disaster for Arthur and Juventus. Issues with form and fitness ensured Arthur was unable to become a regular in Turin during his first two years at the club, and he was subsequently loaned to both Liverpool and with little success. He was loaned out again for the second half of the 2024-25 season to Girona. 4. Dusan Vlahovic - €83.5m (Fiorentina to Juventus, 2022) was one of the most wanted strikers in world football in January 2022, and Juventus beat the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea to his signature after agreeing a €83.5m fee with Fiorentina. He immediately hit the ground running, scoring a goal every 182 minutes in all competitions during his first six months at the club. But he failed to live up to the hype in his next three seasons under both Max Allegri and Thiago Motta, despite a decent scoring record. He is likely to leave Juventus in the summer of 2025, one year before his contract expires. 3. Matthijs de Ligt - €85.5m (Ajax to Juventus, 2019) Juvent