Ronaldo, Casemiro, Lewandowski: The 10 most expensive transfers aged 30 or over | OneFootball

Manchester United have confirmed the agreement of a deal worth €70 million for Real Madrid star Casemiro.

According to Sky Sports, the Brazilian is due into the UK within the next 48 hours to undergo a medical and put the finishing touches on the deal.

He will sign an initial four year contract, with the option of extending by a further year.

The increasing willingness from clubs to overlook age

The Casemiro deal is a significant one for Man Utd.

The Brazilian is a winner and quite possibly the best defensive midfielder in the world right now.

However, to pay €70 million is no small fee for someone entering the latter stages of their career – and that’s before you even take into account his eye-watering wages.

Casemiro is set to land himself a mammoth £350,000-per-week deal with the Red Devils, a salary which would make him the fifth highest paid midfielder in the game.

And so, all things considered, the 30-year-old is guaranteed to cost the club an arm and a leg for the foreseeable future at the very least.

That’s not really too much of an issue with players in their twenties because they should still retain a high level of re-sale value which the club can use to recoup funds.

But in the case of someone like Casemiro, by the time he reaches 33, the Brazilian will be worth next to nothing in the transfer market.

So it’s certainly interesting that the Red Devils, among other top clubs, have been more willing to overlook play age when making marquee signings in recent times.

Gakpo VERY CLOSE! & Antony BID IMMINENT✅ Maguire to Chelsea! Aubameyang Latest (The Football Terrace)

Of course, the main reason for that is the increased lifespan of a footballer’s career.

A greater emphasis on sports science, as well as increased professionalism from players has meant that 33 is quite literally the new 30.

And that, ladies and gentleman, is why we’re seeing the likes of Robert Lewandowski move to Barcelona for a whopping €45 million at the ripe old age of 33.

The 10 most expensive transfers of players aged 30 or over

With all these ‘golden oldies’ in footballing terms moving between clubs then, it’s not much of a surprise to find that they rank very highly amongst their age group’s most expensive deals in history.

Check out this fascinating graphic Transfermarkt shared to their Instagram proving exactly that below.

So, of the 10 most expensive deals for players aged 30 or older, three will have come in 2022/2023 summer window – with Chelsea’s new star Kalidou Koulibaly the only one we are yet to discuss.

Interestingly, all but one transfer came within the last five seasons.

With the one standout coming more than two decades ago in the form of Gabriel Batistuta – simply incredible.