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Raheem Sterling’s transfer from Liverpool to Manchester City has made him the most expensive English player of all time, and second in the list of British players preceded only by the Welsh star Gareth Bale.
Sterling’s transfer from the Merseyside club to Etihad was reportedly £49 million (Sky Sports) and the English international who has been capped 16 times for the Three Lions will spend his best years at City although he is far from being a finished article.
Gareth Bale’s transfer stands atop the list of world’s most expensive transfers when Florentino Perez spent £86 million for the player. The Welsh international has not lived up to his billing at Bernabeu since his arrival at the Spanish capital and has been linked to a number of clubs after being jeered by fans on several occasions.
Andy Carroll was signed on the last day of the January transfer from the Magpies for £35 million, which was then the highest ever fee for any English player, only to be eclipsed by Raheem Sterling this transfer season.
Carroll had a disappointing spell at Anfield and his stay at the Merseyside club was marred by injuries. The striker found the net on only six occasions for the Reds, and his most memorable moment to savour was his winner against Everton in 2012 FA Cup semi-final. However, the striker could not do justice to the whopping fee Liverpool had to pay for his services. Carroll moved to West Ham for a mere £15 million and continues to ply his trade at the London-based club.
Rio Ferdinand's signing from Manchester United’s old rivals Leeds United remains one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s most successful purchases during his tenure at the Theatre Of Dreams.
Rio went on to captain the side to Champions League crown in Moscow in 2008 against Chelsea, and won six Premier League medals and was named in PFA team of the year for 5 times. Rio moved To Queen's Park Rangers last summer before announcing his retirement.
Luke Shaw and Wayne Rooney, both bought by Manchester United round up the top 5 in the list. The table below summarizes the top 10 most expensive British player transfers.
| Players | From | To | Fee(in million £) | |
| 1 | Gareth Bale | Tottenham Hotspur | Real Madrid | 86 |
| 2 | Raheem Sterling | Liverpool | Manchester City | 49 |
| 3 | Andy Carroll | Newcastle United | Liverpool | 35 |
| 4 | Rio Ferdinand | Leeds United | Manchester United | 30 |
| 5 | Luke Shaw | Southampton FC | Manchester United | 30 |
| 6 | Wayne Rooney | Everton | Manchester United | 27 |
| 7 | James Milner | Aston Villa FC | Manchester City | 26 |
| 8 | Adam Lallana | Southampton FC | Liverpool | 25 |
| 9 | David Beckham | Manchester United | Real Madrid | 24.5 |
| 10 | Darren Bent | Sunderland | Aston Villa | 24 |
