The 15 most expensive loan signings in football history | OneFootball

We have become accustomed to seeing big money transfers in football in recent years. Since 2000, we have seen the transfer record be smashed on eight occasions. Real Madrid even managed to do so twice in one window, signing Kaka before Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.

It is not just in permanent deals where crazy fees are commanded. In some cases, teams have spent some ridiculous money on bringing in players on loan, just to give them back a year (or less) later. In some cases, these loan fees are worth more than many club's most expensive permanent signings.

Sometimes, though, teams get desperate to plug a gap or improve the squad and so rush into the market and snap up whoever is available. We may even see another example of this happening soon, with Karim Benzema being linked with a loan move to the Premier League of late.

Using the numbers provided by the experts at Transfermarkt, we at GIVEMESPORT are going to take a look at the top 15 most expensive loan signings in football history and see how they fared during their loan spell.

15 Sofyan Amrabat

€9m - Manchester United (2023-2024)

The Morrocan midfielder rose to fame during the 2022 World Cup. His performances as a player able to break up the play and kickstart attacks were crucial in his country's historic run to the semi-finals of the tournament. It was no surprise following that, that big clubs would be after his signature. After a long saga, he finally joined Manchester United, reuniting with former Utrecht boss Erik ten Hag.

With Transfermarkt listing his fee at €9m, Sofyan Amrabat has struggled with injuries and inconsistent form since his arrival. He finds himself firmly behind the likes of Casemiro, Scott McTominay and even Kobbie Mainoo for a place in the United team. It seems increasingly unlikely that his stay at Old Trafford will become a permanent one.

14 Dejan Kulusevski

€10m - Tottenham Hotspur (2022-2023)

The Swedish international was part of a double swoop that saw two Juventus stars make the move to North London. Dejan Kulusevski was an individual who was showing promise in Turin, but with competition fierce, the Italian giants agreed to let him flourish elsewhere.

The move to Tottenham saw Daniel Levy spend around €10m for the initial 18-month loan. The winger soon became an important member of the squad, nailing a starting spot on the right-hand side. It came as no surprise in the summer of 2023 that Spurs activated their buy option on the player, making his deal permanent for £29.2m.

€10m - Atletico Madrid (2021-2023)

Not many people would've guessed that when Barcelona signed Antoine Griezmann in 2019 for €120m, it would end with him being shipped back to his former club. With the Catalan giants struggling for money and the Frenchman struggling for form, the decision was made to cut some costs and return the striker back to where he came from.

The World Cup winner returned to Atletico on a two-year loan costing them €10m. There, Griezmann rediscovered some of his old swagger and the move was made permanent in 2023. Since then, the attacker has gone on to make history, becoming the club's record goalscorer.

12 Gonzalo Higuain

€10.2m - AC Milan (2018-2019)

Gonzalo Higuain was no stranger when it came to playing for some of the biggest clubs in the world during his career. The Argentine featured heavily for the likes of Real Madrid, Napoli and Juventus throughout his time. Another one of those giants was AC Milan, whom he joined on loan in 2018.

Swapping Turin for the fashion capital seemed like a move that would reinvigorate the striker, who had fallen down the pecking order at Juve. Whilst his eight goals in 22 games wasn't a terrible return, it perhaps didn't justify the €10.2m spent on the deal. His stay at the San Siro was cut short in 2019 so that Higuain could make another loan move, this time to Chelsea. There, he managed just five goals in 18 appearances.

11 Joao Felix

€11m - Chelsea (2023)

If this was a list based on how much a club paid for a loan player per month, Joao Felix would actually be at the very top. The Portuguese superstar was one of several players that Chelsea acquired in the January 2023 transfer window. Alongside the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Mykhaylo Mudryk, it was believed Felix would bolster Chelsea's creative options.

With a loan fee reported to be in the region of £9.4m, the Blues handed Atletico Madrid £1.9m per month for the youngster's services. His debut for the club could not have gone worse, getting sent off in a 2-1 defeat to Fulham. Felix was unable to turn the tide at Stamford Bridge and returned to Spain before moving to Barcelona.

10 Mattia Destro

€11.5m - AS Roma (2012-2013)

Italian giants Roma found themselves going into the 2012/2013 campaign needing to find a new striker. They had just lost Fabio Borini, who had gone on to become Brendan Rodgers' first signing as Liverpool manager. Rather than using those funds to invest in someone for the future, the Giallorossi decided to opt for a short-term fix by bringing Mattia Destro in from Genoa.

The club spent a massive €11.5m to get the Italian on their books for the year. That is a lot of money by today's standards, let alone in 2012. The gamble seemingly paid off, as Destro earned a permanent move the following summer.

€12m - Manchester United (2020)

Nigerian international Odion Ighalo must not have believed his agent when he was told there was interest from Manchester United in him. It had been several years since Ighalo had last played Premier League football, having previously done well at Watford. However, the boyhood United fan would have his dream come true, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sanctioning a €12m loan deal.

It was clear the forward was being brought in to play as backup to the likes of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. While he did not possess the same quality, his passion made him a fan favourite. Unfortunately, Ighalo wasn't able to get the experience of playing in front of the Old Trafford faithful on many occasions, with half of his spell coming during the pandemic. Despite that, it remains a memorable cameo.

8 Nicolo Barella

€12m - Inter Milan (2019-2020)

In 2019, Nicolo Barella was making waves across Italy for his impressive displays for Cagliari. It seemed all of a certainty that one of Serie A's biggest boys would be stumping up the cash to bring him in. That's exactly what happened as Inter Milan came knocking.

However, because of financial fair play rules, Inter were not able to afford a permanent deal at that time. So an arrangement was made. Cagliari wanted €50m to let their star midfielder go, so the two clubs negotiated a deal that saw Inter pay €12m as part of a loan deal for the 2019-2020 season. They would then pay the remaining €38m as part of their obligation to buy the following summer.

7 Federico Chiesa

€12.6m - Juventus (2020-2022)

The nature of Federico Chiesa's move to Juventus was very similar to that of Barella's to Inter Milan. A young, promising player who was destined for bigger and better things; being chased by one of the biggest clubs in the country; who couldn't afford the fee for a permanent transfer; therefore coming up with a loan-to-buy agreement.

In this instance, Chiesa's loan spell was for two years. The Old Lady parted with €12.6m to bring the rising star to the Allianz Stadium. Although the option to buy was not an obligation, it was no surprise when Juventus exercised it at the end of his loan duration in 2022.

6 Carlos Tevez

€12.7m - Manchester United (2007-2009)

In 2007, Carlos Tevez was one of the most sought-after names in world football. Following a controversial move to West Ham United, the Argentine had weaved his magic and secured their Premier League survival thanks to a winning goal at Old Trafford. Ironically, that's where he would end up next after Sir Alex Ferguson spent €12.7m on bringing him to the club for two years.

Despite winning both the Premier League and the Champions League, Tevez was disgruntled at Manchester United. He turned down their offer to join permanently, instead making the traitorous move to the blue side of Manchester to join City.

5 James Rodriguez

€13m - Bayern Munich (2017-2019)

The Colombian sensation found himself at a crossroads in 2017. Having joined Real Madrid after his heroics in the 2014 World Cup, he hadn't become the superstar that most people expected him to blossom into. In order to reach those new heights, he was allowed to go on loan to another European giant in the form of Bayern Munich.

The two-year spell, which saw the Bavarians spend €13m, led to James Rodriguez actually returning to the Bernabeu and scoring against his parent club in the Champions League. This alone was not enough to convince Bayern to make his stay a permanent one. A move did transpire shortly after, except it was to reunite with Carlo Ancelotti at Everton.

4 Duvan Zapata

€14m - Atalanta (2018-2020)

The summer of 2018 was a strange one for Duvan Zapata. Having just spent a season on loan at Sampdoria, his move was made permanent as the club had included an obligation to buy as part of their deal with Napoli. However, just eleven days after this, Zapata was on the move once again, this time heading to Atalanta.

The loan deal, which was in the region €14m, lasted for 18 months before becoming permanent in January 2020. During his time at the club, Zapata became its second top goalscorer. While he is technically still at the club, he is now on loan at Torino and it seems unlikely he will reach the 112-goal total needed to tie the record.

3 Giovani Lo Celso

€16m - Tottenham Hotspur (2019/2020)

Mauricio Pochettino was desperately looking for a creative midfielder to join him at White Hart Lane in 2018. Moves for Paulo Dybala and Philippe Coutinho all failed to materialise, but the deal that did come through was that for Giovani Lo Celso. The Argentinian, who had previously been at PSG, had impressed enough at Real Betis for Spurs to break their transfer record for him.

Much like with other entries on this list, the deal was split into two. The first part of the deal included a season-long loan worth €16m, before becoming permanent the following summer. It has been an up-and-down career in north London for Lo Celso, but he has recently found himself back in the team following recent performances in the absence of James Maddison.

2 Alvaro Morata

€18m - Atletico Madrid (2019-2020)

Alvaro Morata is a man who is no stranger to bouncing around Europe's top clubs. Having had two different spells at Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus, he has racked up some serious transfer fees in his career. His first spell at the latter came in January 2019. After an underwhelming 18 months at Chelsea, Diego Simeone bought the striker back to Spain on a similar-length loan deal.

The loan saw Chelsea pocket €18m, which would be added to after Atleti made the deal permanent in the summer of 2020. However, by September that very same year, Morata would be on the move once again. And once again, it would be a very expensive loan deal...

€20m - Juventus (2020-2022)

The Spaniard takes the number one and number two spot, with his return to Turin just pipping that of his move to Atletico. Having previously played for the Italians between 2014-2016, Morata rejoined Juventus for a staggering €20m.

Unlike the loan deal to Madrid, this one did not end in a permanent transfer, with the attacker instead returning to Spain after two years. His second spell with the Old Lady came at a time when they were beginning to lose their grip on Italian football. Morata was unable to help them climb back to the top but was just as dedicated as any player contracted to the club.