World's top 10 most expensive football transfers

3. Kaka

AC Milan to Real Madrid, 2009, £56million

Kaka moved to Real Madrid for 56 million pounds and this was the most expensive football transfer for a few days before Ronaldo’s arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu. But he has so far failed to replicate his mesmerising form with which he made his name at AC Milan, mainly because of niggling injuries. Most recently he has been linked with moves away from Real Madrid.

4. Fernando Torres

Liverpool to Chelsea, 2011, £50million

On 27 January 2011, days before the closure of the transfer window, ‘El Nino’ was the subject of a £40 million bid from Chelsea, which was rejected by Liverpool. He subsequently handed in an official transfer request to Liverpool the next day, which was rejected. Torres completed his move to Chelsea on a five-and-a-half year contract on 31 January for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £50 million, which set a new record for a British transfer. So far, he has failed to replicate his heroics at Liverpool with Chelsea, but he could play a key role when Didier Drogba departs for the Africa Cup of Nations in January 2012. All the best ‘El Nino’.