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The Premier League is known for its financial power over other leagues and, likewise, the PL clubs have gone on a spending spree every season for over the last 5-6 years. This is mainly down to the steep increase in broadcasting rights revenue and merchandising, which generates truckloads of money, thereby, augmenting the revenue of the English clubs drastically.
Clubs get profited in many other ways too. For instance, when Paul Pogba re-joined Manchester United, the Red Devils garnered over 190 million pounds from his jersey sales alone.
Usually, club owners invest the money they make, back into the club, spending eye-watering amounts of money on a single player for the sake of the simple logic that signing quality players will increase the chances of the team having a successful season.
As the Premier League transfer window gets close to drawing down curtains, let's look at the highest sum paid by each Premier League club on a single player.
#20 CARDIFF CITY - GARY MEDEL (13 MIL EUROS)
In the summer of 2013, Gary Medel decided to join Cardiff City from Sevilla for a club-record fee of 13 million. At Cardiff, he was an integral part of coach Malky Mackay's squad, but inexperience among the squad led the club to relegation. The 31-year-old made 34 appearances for the Welsh club in total.
One year later, the Chilean received a tempting offer from Italian heavyweights Inter Milan and obliged to it. He spent three years at San Siro before moving again, this time, to Turkish club Besiktas in 2017.
#19 BURNLEY - BEN GIBSON ( 16.9 MIL EUROS)
Earlier this summer, Burnley Manager Sean Dyche had been on a hunt for a new centre-back to replace the injury-prone Ben Mee until he found Ben Gibson, whom he saw as a suitable candidate. The English defender was soon signed from Middlesbrough for about 17 million, a club-record transfer for the Clarets.
After spending five years at North Yorkshire, Ben Gibson would be looking forward to a new challenge as the Turf Moor loyals eagerly wait to witness their team return to European Football -- Burnley qualified for Europa League last season -- for the first time in over half a century.
#18 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS - RUBEN NEVES (17.9 MIL EUROS)
Ruben Neves attracted many European heavyweights when he captained Porto at the age of 18 in a 2016-17 Champions League game. The following summer, the Porto graduate made a shock move to Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers and then helped them secure a place in the English top flight last season.
The deep-lying midfielder is the London club's record purchase (17.9 million euros) till date. The Portuguese has impressed several scouts throughout his career and is now raring to make his debut in the Premier League with the Wolves.
#17 BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION - ALIREZA JAHANBAKHSH (19 MIL EUROS)
Jahanbakhsh began his trade at Damash Gilan before moving to NEC first and then to Alkmaar. Following an impressive season with the Dutch side Alkmaar last season, during which he netted 22 goals, the Iranian International caught the eyes of the Seagulls' manager Chris Hughton.
Brighton did not show any hesitation to pay a club-record fee of 19 million euros for Jahanbakhsh as they believe he is a talented forward capable of tearing up the opposition defense by himself.
#16 NEWCASTLE UNITED - MICHAEL OWEN (25 MIL EUROS)
A star striker in every context, Michael Owen has played for an impressive list of big clubs like Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Manchester United throughout his career. The English forward has also won individual awards including the Ballon d'Or, UEFA Best Player in Europe, and more.
Owen became the most expensive player in Newcastle United's history in 2005, when he left La Liga after spending just one season with Real Madrid. The operation was closed at a hefty 25 million euros, which was a very big amount for a single footballer back then.
The money spent on this star signing was recouped in the form of the 26 goals he netted for the Magpies in 71 games.
#15 SOUTHAMPTON - JAANIK VESTERGAARD (25 MIL EUROS)
Jaanik Vestergaard is a player, who has played his entire senior club career in Germany. He is a defender well-versed in his defensive duties. The Dane drew serious respect in Europe for his performances last season.
Leader at the back, strong in aerial duels and great tackling ability, spending a whopping 25 million euros on Vestergaard was really a no-brainer for Premier League side Southampton.
Now, the former Borussia Monchengladbach defender, who has joined the Saints as their most expensive player ever, will be looking forward to living up to his price tag this season.
#14 WATFORD - ANDRE GREY (20.4 MIL EUROS)
Andre Gray was impressive with Burnley in the Championship, and he continued the same form with the Clarets in Premier League 2016-17 as he netted 10 goals in 36 games for Sean Dyche's side.
As a result, an irresistible offer worth 20.4 million euros came from Watford, which consequently made the 27-year-old the club-record signing for the Hornets in 2017. However, he struggled to replicate his good form last season.
#13 HUDDERSFIELD TOWN - TERENCE KONGOLO (20 MIL EUROS)
Terence Kongolo began his career at Dutch side Feyenoord and spent 5 years at the same club until his move to French club AS Monaco in 2017. That move did not pan out well as he was seen surplus to requirements and loaned out to David Wagner's Huddersfield Town in January 2018.
Since the former Monaco man turned out to be an important member in keeping the Terriers afloat in the Premier League, Wagner decided to sign Kongolo for a club-record fee of 20 million euros.
#12 AFC BOURNEMOUTH - NATHAN AKE (22.8 MIL EUROS)
Once upon a time, Nathan Ake was touted as the next big academy graduate from Chelsea, but the lack of game time hindered his development and forced him to move elsewhere.
Ake spent a half-season loan spell at Bournemouth in 2016 before returning to the Stamford Bridge for the second-half of the season.
In 2017, the young Dutch defender moved permanently to the Cherries for a sum close to 23 million euros. Since joining, he has been solid playing for the South Coast team.
#11 FULHAM - JEAN MICHAEL SERI (30 MIL EUROS)
Jean Michael Seri was linked with the likes of Liverpool, Barcelona, and Arsenal last summer, only for the rumours to never materialise. Due to fewer suitors this summer, the former Nice midfielder decided to join the Premier League newcomers Fulham.
Blessed with top-notch passing and the ability to strike the ball hard from outside the box, it was clear that the Ivorian wouldn't come cheap for any bidder and Fulham did not think twice before striking a deal at 30 million euros with OGC Nice.
Seri will be looking to help Fulham survive in their return to the English top flight after several years.
#10 LEICESTER CITY - ISLAM SLIMANI (30.5 MIL EUROS)
Slimani made his move to Leicester City in 2016 for a reported fee of 30.5 million euros, which still stands as the highest fee paid by the Foxes for a player.
Despite being the second highest goalscorer in Liga NOS 2015-16 with 27 goals, the Algerian couldn't seal his place in Leicester's starting XI and joined Newcastle United, on loan, in January. He suffered with injuries at Tyneside and thus failed to perform there as well.
This season, Slimani will be looking to improve his game and convince Foxes Coach Claude Puel to give him more playing time.
#9 CRYSTAL PALACE - CHRISTIAN BENTEKE (31.2 MIL EUROS)
Christian Benteke was one of the best strikers in the Premier League during his time at Aston Villa, scoring 49 goals in 101 appearances at the Villa Park.
Under a good impression, Brendan Rodgers decided to land him in Liverpool by paying a staggering 46.5 million euros to Aston Villa. The Belgian failed to live up to the hype at Anfield and had a rather forgettable stint with the Reds.
After the arrival of new manager Jurgen Klopp, Benteke's game time reduced significantly and he was eventually sold to Crystal Palace in what would be a record transfer for the Eagles. The transfer was completed for 31.2 million euros by the London side.
#8 WEST HAM UNITED - FELIPE ANDERSON (38 MIL EUROS)
Two years ago, Felipe Anderson was being linked with the likes of Manchester United and Paris Saint Germain. But the stats of the Brazilian over the past two years were not satisfactory enough, and plenty of eyebrows were raised when West Ham United decided to go for him this summer.
Hammers Coach Manuel Pellegrini has shown his trust in the former Lazio forward's caliber and thus lured him to the Olympic Stadium for a club-record fee of 38 million euros.
#7 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR - DAVINSON SANCHEZ (40 MIL EUROS)
Davinson Sanchez had a breakthrough season with Eredivisie side Ajax in 2016-17. The quality of his displays against some of Europe's big clubs were truly worthy of the praise he received.
In the summer of 2017, clubs including Manchester United and Chelsea were interested in the Colombian, but he chose to move to the White Hart Lane instead. The 42 million club-record fee Spurs paid for him seems to be paying off well as he has impressed his onlookers in his debut season.
#6 EVERTON - RICHARLISON (39.2 MIL EUROS):
Just 12 months ago, Watford battled Fluminense to sign Richarlison for a fee of just over 12 million euros. Fast forward to 2018, the Hornets have made great profit on their purchase, selling him to the blue-half of Merseyside for a record 39.2 mil euros.
Everton Manager Marco Silva's quest for grabbing this man comes as no surprise as the Brazilian winger played magnificently well under the same manager when he was coaching the Hornets.
Having broken their transfer record for the wonderkid, the Toffees' fans will be looking forward to seeing him in action this season.
#5 ARSENAL - PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG (63.75 MIL EUROS):
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a disappointing time at AC Milan, having been sent on loan spells away at Monaco, Lille, and Sporting Dijon season after season. Eventually, he earned a permanent move to Ligue 1 after impressing the manager at Saint-Etienne during his loan spell there.
Seeing a striker with an all-round skill set and a knack for scoring goals, then Dortmund Manager Jurgen Klopp decided to sign the Gabon International for Borussia Dortmund. He netted 98 goals in 144 appearances, marking a successful stint at the German club.
The former Borussia Dortmund forward had been looking to force his way out of Borussia Dortmund since 2016, but, time and again, he was unable to find a suitable destination until Arsenal came calling with a 63.75-million-euro offer in January 2018. This transfer meant Auba became the most expensive Gunner till date.
#4 CHELSEA - ALVARO MORATA (66 MIL EUROS)
Born in Madrid, Spain, Alvaro Morata represented Atletico Madrid and Getafe before making a move to Real Madrid, where he made his breakthrough.
After spending four years at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and not getting enough game time, the Spain International decided to transition to Serie A with Juventus waiting in the wings.
During his time in Italy, Morata scored occasionally but in important games, which prompted Real Madrid to exercise their buyback clause. Upon his return, the Spaniard couldn't displace Benzema from Zidane's gameplan and, hence, was adamant to leave again.
In 2016, Morata joined Chelsea for a club-record fee of 66 million euros. Unfortunately, life in England proved to be very tough for him in his debut season, and the star striker will be hoping to fix that this time around.
#3 MANCHESTER CITY - RIYAD MAHREZ (67.8 MIL EUROS)
Riyad Mahrez spent 4 years at French club Le Havre before joining English side Leicester City for half-a-million euros. Since that move, he has gone on to star in a dream campaign for the Foxes, where they lifted the Premier League trophy for the first time in their history. The Algerian's stock rose quickly but he stayed put at the King Power Stadium for two more seasons.
Earlier this year, the one-time Premier League Champion wanted to move to the Etihad Stadium during the January transfer window but, due to Leicester demanding a ludicrous amount, it couldn't come to fruition.
However, Mahrez's wish was soon fulfilled as Manchester City confirmed the signing of Riyad Mahrez for a club-record fee of 67.8 million euros in July.
#2 LIVERPOOL - VIRGIL VAN DIJK (78.8 MIL EUROS)
Last summer, Van Dijk was wanted by a host of clubs consisting of Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea among others. Regardless of the interest, he stayed at Southampton till December 2017. In January, he joined Liverpool for a record 78.8 million euros.
Since his introduction to the club, the Merseyside team has produced results as the Dutchman has stabilized the defense. As of today, the Dutch centre-back remains the most expensive defender of all time.
#1 MANCHESTER UNITED - PAUL POGBA (105 MIL EUROS)
Paul Pogba left Man United after a row with Sir Alex Ferguson in 2012. He joined Juventus on a free transfer, in what would turn out to be a big miss for the Manchester club.
At Juventus, Pogba won Serie A four consecutive times and, on a personal level, was included in the FIFA Team Of The Year in 2016.
For the 2016-17 season, the Frenchman re-joined his boyhood club, Manchester United, for a fee of 105 million euros, which made him the most expensive player in the world at that time. The dubious title was taken by Neymar the following year but, in spite of that, Pogba still remains the most expensive player in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old has been inconsistent with his performances till now, which could be due to the excessive burden of defensive duties on him. But, with the arrival of Fred at Old Trafford, the best out of Pogba might be finally unleashed this season by giving him more freedom in his role.
