Chelsea's top 10 most expensive transfer signings – ranked

Chelsea have bought plenty of players over the years, particularly since the arrival of Todd Boehly as owner.

The Blues emerged as big players in the transfer market when Roman Abramovich’s millions disrupted the norm back in the early 2000s, with the first few windows under the Russian some of the largest in history when factoring in inflation.

With the raft of talent coming through the doors a Stamford Bridge, it can be difficult to keep up. So who have been the biggest arrivals in west London by transfer fee? We’ve taken a look at the top 10 here.

All information in this list is correct as of 17th October 2025. Transfer fees have been obtained from news reports, with add-ons included where applicable.

However, if a player has left the club and is deemed/reported not to have met the requirements to fulfil the add-ons, only the initial fee has been recorded.

Alvaro Morata was a club-record signing when he joined in the summer of 2017, with Chelsea beginning that season as Premier League champions.

Unfortunately, the Spaniard struggled to find his feet at Stamford Bridge, as he was unable to keep his place following a tally of just 11 Premier League goals in his first season and the arrival of Maurizio Sarri as manager.

He did win two trophies at Chelsea, having played a part in their FA Cup and Europa League triumphs.

Joao Pedro was a statement signing as Chelsea bolstered their frontline during their Club World Cup campaign.

The former Brighton striker made an immediate impact, scoring three times to steer the Blues to glory – almost paying back his £60m transfer fee in an instant.

He was tasked with replacing the underwhelming Nicolas Jackson, who had netted just 13 times in all competitions.

Chelsea signed Marc Cucurella for a fee in excess of £60m in the summer of 2022, during an off-season of huge change at the club.

The Spaniard was one of 17 new signings as Boehly flexed his financial muscles, with three players joining for higher fees alone.

Cucurella went on to make the left-back spot his own, with the likes of Ben Chilwell and Lewis Hall moving on since the defender’s arrival.

Another of the 2022 arrivals was Wesley Fofana, who became one of the most expensive defenders in history following his £70m move to Stamford Bridge.

Joining the club not long after recovering from a leg break at Leicester City, Fofana’s time at Chelsea was hampered by injury setbacks, with the defender missing the entirety of the 2023/24 season.

As of 2025, the Frenchman has yet to record more than 20 appearances in a single campaign.

Kai Havertz’s time at Chelsea was rather short-lived, but the German still delivered on the biggest stage to hand the Blues one of their greatest moments.

Havertz capped his first campaign since his £71m switch from Bayer Leverkusen by scoring the winner in the 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City, before going on to taste Club World Cup glory.

The attacker made a £65m switch to London rivals Arsenal at the start of Mauricio Pochettino’s reign as Chelsea boss.

Chelsea made Kepa Arrizabalaga the world’s most expensive goalkeeper after sealing a £71.6m move from Athletic Club in 2018.

The Spaniard’s defining moment in Chelsea colours was arguably one of controversy, when he infamously refused to be substituted during the 2019 Carabao Cup final.

Kepa won the Europa League and Champions League at Chelsea before being ousted as the No 1, leading to loan moves at Real Madrid and Bournemouth ahead of his eventual departure.

Mykhailo Mudryk’s big-money move to Chelsea remains one of the most remarkable in recent years. Not only has the Ukrainian failed to hit the heights expected of him at Stamford Bridge, but he hit a new low after he was suspended following a doping offence.

Mudryk joined the club after starring for Shakhtar Donetsk, with Chelsea usurping the likes of Arsenal to his signature by sealing an £89m deal.

Joining for an initial £62m in 2023, it looks unlikely he will activate a further £27m in add-ons as he remains unplayable heading into the latter months of 2025.

Chelsea put out all the stops to re-sign Romelu Lukaku as they sought to stamp their authority as newly crowned champions of Europe.

Signing for just under £100m, Lukaku’s return was an unfortunate disaster, with the striker appearing to fall out with Thomas Tuchel after losing his place.

He even publicly revealed his disappointment with Tuchel’s methods and a love for former club Inter, where he would end up a year after his return to west London.

Is he one of Chelsea’s worst-ever signings?