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Football is becoming more like a business these days, and the money involved in it is absolutely insane. Foreign investments, high advertising fees, and hefty ticket prices help clubs generate more income, subsequently, giving them more money to spend in the transfer market.
In the transfer market, players playing in the forward line often attracts the biggest transfer fee and almost every player on the list of the top 10 most expensive transfers of all time is a forward.
On that note, here's the list of five most valuable forwards in the world right now.
#5 Mohamed Salah- €184.3 Million
Arguably the best player in the Premier League right now, Mohamed Salah is in an exceptional form since joining Liverpool from AS Roma last season.
The Egyptian enjoyed a brilliant 2017-2018 season with the Reds and set a record of scoring the most number of goals (32 goals) in a 38-game Premier League season. He also played a vital role in the Reds' run to the finals of the Champions League last season and was voted as the second best forward of the tournament.
The King of Egypt won the African Player of the Season 2017 accolade and was also the PFA Player of the Season 2017-18. He holds a number of Liverpool individual awards, such as the fastest Liverpool player to score 50 goals, most goals scored in a debut season by a player and many more.
The former AS Roma forward started the 2018-19 season slowly and was criticized for his bad form during the initial few weeks of the campaign. However, he regained his form as the season continued and is currently leading the goalscoring charts in the Premier League.
#4 Raheem Sterling- €185.8 million
Raheem Sterling is one the best wide-man in England right now and scored 10 goals in 22 league games for Manchester City thus far this season.
He started his youth career with QPR before moving to Liverpool where he made his league debut at the age of 17. He stayed for four seasons with the Merseyside club, scoring 18 goals in 95 Premier League games and was voted as Liverpool's Young Player of the Season in the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons.
The Englishman moved to Manchester City in 2015 and improved remarkably under Pep Guardiola after struggling in the initial months at the Etihad Stadium. He was among the Cityzens' best players in their historic run in the league last season and won the PFA Premier League Player of the Month accolade twice.
#3 Neymar - €197.1 million
Often considered the world's best player after Ronaldo and Messi, Neymar can consider himself unlucky to be born in the same generation as the greatest duo.
The Brazilian started his professional career with Santos and moved to Barcelona in 2013. He played 186 games in all competitions during his four-year spell with the Spanish giants and helped them win two LaLiga titles, three Copa del Rey trophies, one Supercopa de Espana along with one FIFA Club World Cup and one UEFA Champions League trophy.
The 26-year-old left the Blaugrana to join PSG for a world record fee in 2017 and he is in wonderful form since his move. He bagged 19 goals and 13 assists during the 2017-2018 season and helped his team win the domestic treble.
The former Barcelona man was in a brilliant form this season as well and registered 13 goals and 6 assists prior to his recent injury.
Neymar won the Samba Gold award on three occasions and was also the LaLiga Best World Player during the 2014-2015 season. Neymar was included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI two times and was also the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year last season.
#2 Harry Kane- €200.3 Million
Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate, Harry Kane is one of the most prolific goal-scorers in the Premier League. He has won the PL Golden Shoe in two of the last three seasons.
The London-born striker was England's Player of the Year in 2017 and also won the PFA Player of the Season in the 2016/17 campaign. Kane himself won the Player of the Month award six times, which is the joint-most of all-time alongside the Liverpool legend, Steven Gerrard.
Kane scored 6 goals at the FIFA World Cup 2018 and won the prestigious Golden Shoe award. He was also part of FIFA World Cup Dream Team.
The Englishman was going toe-to-toe with Mohamed Salah and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang for this year's Golden Boot as well but his recent injury saw him fall behind his rivals.
#1 Kylian Mbappe- €218.5 million
With a market value of €200 million, PSG's Kylian Mbappe is currently the most valuable footballer in the world at the moment.
The French international made his debut in 2015 at the tender age of 16, however, he got his breakthrough in the 2016-2017 season. He was one of Monaco's best players during that season as they clinched the Ligue 1 title right under the noses of PSG.
AS Monaco also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2016-2017 season and Mbappe played a vital role for the team, scoring 6 goals in their European campaign.
His impressive performances at AS Monaco impressed PSG and they initially signed him on-loan (with a deal in place to sign him permanently in 2018) in the summer of 2017. He was a part of the FIFPro World XI: 2018. He scored 13 goals and assisted further eight in the league during the 2017-2018 season.
He is in a brilliant form this season as well and has registered 18 goals and 6 assists in 15 Ligue 1 games thus far.
Market Values Courtesy: CIES Football Observatory
