Despite often being cited as the most important position on the pitch, goalkeepers typically haven’t been sold for big money. That has changed in more recent years, with long-standing records tumbling within the past decade.
But who are football’s most expensive goalkeepers? In this list, we’ve taken a look at the priciest transfers concerning those between the sticks, with a detailed summary of the top 10 moves.
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The 20 most expensive goalkeepers of all time
Rank
Player
From
To
Fee
1
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Athletic Club
Chelsea
£71m
2
Alisson
Roma
Liverpool
£66.8m
3
Andre Onana
Inter
Man Utd
£47.2m
=4
Thibaut Courtois
Chelsea
Real Madrid
£35m
=4
Ederson
Benfica
Man City
£35m
6
Gianluigi Buffon
Parma
Juventus
£32.6m
=7
Neto
Valencia
Barcelona
£31.4m
=7
Jasper Cillessen
Barcelona
Valencia
£31.4m
=9
Aaron Ramsdale
Sheff Utd
Arsenal
£30m
=9
Jordan Pickford
Sunderland
Everton
£30m
11
Giorgi Mamardashvili
Valencia
Liverpool
£29m
12
David Raya
Brentford
Arsenal
£27m
=13
Aaron Ramsdale
Arsenal
Southampton
£25m
=13
Robert Sanchez
Brighton
Chelsea
£25m
15
Alex Meret
Udinese
Napoli
£23m
16
Edouard Mendy
Rennes
Chelsea
£22m
17
Manuel Neuer
Schalke
Bayern Munich
£21.7m
18
Pau Lopez
Real Betis
Roma
£21m
19
Filip Jorgensen
Villarreal
Chelsea
£20.7m
20
Odysseas Vlachodimos
Nottingham Forest
Newcastle
£19.9m
10
Jordan Pickford
Sunderland to Everton (£30m)
Coming in at 10 is Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who joined the Toffees in June 2017 for a club-record fee of £30m, with Everton paying £25 million to Sunderland and then another £5 million depending on team and individual performances.
The goalkeeper signed a five-year contract after only breaking into the Sunderland team just over 12 months before his move to Goodison Park.
Since joining Everton, Pickford has cemented his spot as their No 1 goalkeeper, keeping the role despite the various changes in management. He has also become England’s No 1, winning 73 caps and playing pivotal roles in recent European Championship and World Cup campaigns.
9
Aaron Ramsdale
Sheff Utd to Arsenal (£30m)
Aaron Ramsdale made the move to join Arsenal from Sheffield United in 2021. The shot-stopper joined the Gunners worth as much as £30m.
The 26-year-old spent three seasons with Arsenal, keeping 12 clean sheets in 34 Premier League games in his first campaign. Ramsdale then went on to beat that, as he kept 14 the following season, but then lost his place in the 2023/24 season and was sold to Southampton in the summer of 2024.
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8
Jasper Cillessen
Barcelona to Valencia (£31.4m)
Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen joined Valencia in a deal worth £31.4m, where he signed a four-year deal and had a buyout clause worth £71.66m.
Cillessen spent three seasons at Valencia, which were not plain sailing, as Cillessen was in and out of the side through injuries, playing a total of 57 games, conceding 81 goals, and keeping just 12 clean sheets.
He returned to the Netherlands after his time was up at Valencia, turning out for NEC Nijmegen before making a La Liga comeback this summer with Las Palmas.
7
Neto
Valencia to Barcelona (£31.4m)
In June 2019, Barcelona signed goalkeeper Neto from fellow Spanish side Valencia in a deal that was worth €35m (£31.4m) including add-ons.
Now at Arsenal, the Brazilian ended a poor spell at Camp Nou by sealing a free transfer to Bournemouth in the summer of 2022, as the cash-strapped Catalans made a nightmare return on their original investment – though their sale of Jasper Cillessen for virtually the same amount the day before meant little harm was done in the end…
6
Gianluigi Buffon
Parma to Juventus (£32.6m)
In July 2001, Juventus made history as they paid the highest fee for a goalkeeper when signing Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon. The Turin giants paid £32.6m to Parma, where he came through the academy, to secure the services of a ‘keeper who would become one of the best in the game.
Buffon was the world’s most expensive goalkeeper for 17 years, although interestingly, that depends on which currency you go by. Despite costing just under £33m in pounds sterling, his record in euros (around €50m) wasn’t beaten until the top two goalkeeping transfers took place in 2018.
5
Ederson
Benfica to Man City (£35m)
Manchester City signed goalkeeper Ederson in June 2017 for a deal worth £35m, after only recently breaking into the first team in Portugal.
The Brazilian showed his quality straight away, and it wasn’t long before he established himself as one of the strongest goalkeepers in the Premier League. Ederson has been a key part of City’s domestic and European success in recent years continues to be a key part of the City team today.
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4
Thibaut Courtois
Chelsea to Real Madrid (£35m)
Thibaut Courtois ended a seven-year spell at Chelsea when he joined Real Madrid in 2018 for a deal believed to be worth £35m.
The Belgian had become one of Europe’s finest goalkeepers and earned his move to Madrid, which was controversial given his existing ties to rivals Atlético.
The 32-year-old has won three league titles, three Spanish Cups and two Champions League trophies since being at the Bernabeu.
3
Andre Onana
Inter to Man Utd (£47.2m)
Manchester United decided to pay £47.2m to bring Andre Onana to Old Trafford as the replacement for David de Gea in July 2023, with then-manager Erik ten Hag working with the shot-stopper at Ajax.
He has come under fire during his time in Manchester, with the Cameroon international guilty of making some high-profile errors, which will surely cast doubt over his long-term future amid the arrival of new manager Ruben Amorim.
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2
Alisson
Roma to Liverpool (£66.8m)
When Liverpool signed Alisson from Roma in July 2018, he became the most expensive goalkeeper in football. The Premier League side paid £66.8m to the Italian giants for the Brazilian’s services, and it has been worth every penny, with the goalkeeper on hand to play a key role in Liverpool winning the Champions League in his first season, all while keeping six clean sheets in 13 European games.
Alisson has since gone on to help Liverpool win the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, and Premier League in recent years and has kept over 120 clean sheets in over 280 games for the Merseyside club.
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1
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Athletic Club to Chelsea (£71m)
Kepa Arrizabalaga is the most expensive goalkeeper in world football. The Spain international joined Chelsea in 2018 for a record fee of £71m.
Chelsea triggered the release clause in Arrizabalaga’s contract at Athletic Club and he joined the Blues on a seven-year contract. The 30-year-old made an instant impact at Stamford Bridge, becoming the club’s No 1, but after two seasons at the helm, Arrizabalaga lost his place in the starting XI and has struggled to get back in, spending time on loan at Real Madrid and Bournemouth.
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