Most Expensive Signings Made By Manchester United

Throughout the late 90’s and early parts of the previous decade, United was by far the richest club in England. United almost always signed the hottest prospects in England and sometimes even foreigners. They shelled out a lot of money once they saw a worthy talent and mostly got back their money’s worth. In this article, we will look at five of the most expensive signings made by Manchester United.

#5 Angel Di Maria – £67.50m

In the summer of 2014, Di Maria decided to leave Real Madrid after helping them to La Decima. Di Maria possessed incredible pace and a deadly final pass especially during counter-attacks. However, Louis Van Gaal’s playing style completely nullified Di Maria’s game, thus rendering him useless to the team. He scored just 4 goals in 32 appearances and was sold to PSG in the summer. He has since become a cult-icon at the French capital and is widely heralded for his unselfish attitude.

#4 Romelu Lukaku – £76.23m

Lukaku was signed by Manchester United from Everton in the summer of 2017. For a long period, United had lacked a genuine center-forward and hence the arrival of Lukaku was met with a lot of joy. In his first season at United, Lukaku scored 16 Premier League goals despite playing in a defensive system. He really struggled to get going in his second season at the club and Ole thought United will be better off without Lukaku.

Hence, Lukaku moved to Inter Milan in the summer of 2019 for a sizeable amount. He re-invented himself under Conte and was pivotal in Inter’s Serie A victory in 2020/21.

#3 Jadon Sancho – £76.23m

In 2021, Sancho became one of the most expensive signings by Manchester United. But the transfer fee could have been 40-50 million euros higher, had Dortmund accepted United’s proposal in 2020.  Like many players who come from Bundesliga, Sancho struggled during his first few games in a United shirt. However, he has played  well recently and is mostly used as a winger.

Sancho has scored just two goals so far but his best is yet to come. Also, he has found it tougher to dribble like he did in Germany and his skills have also been limited by water-tight defenses.

#2 Harry Maguire – £78.30m

The signing of Maguire from Leicester City will always divide opinion due to the large transfer fee. Maguire was outstanding for Leicester City in his two seasons at the club. He was fearless with the ball on his feet and was a fine defender in air. The fact that he was English inflated his transfer fee but United took the risk in 2019.

Maguire has made more than 50 appearances in the past two seasons for United. But this season his focus on the pitch has come under question as his errors have led to several goals. Maguire has to turn around his form or his relationship with the fans could get ugly.

#1 Paul Pogba – £89.1m

Topping the list of the most expensive signings made by Manchester United is the French midfielder Paul Pogba. He joined United from Juventus in 2017 and apart from the odd impressive display his time at the club has been a failure. Add to the fact that he took on Sir Alex and pushed for a free transfer to Juventus in 2013 and it is clear to see why some United fans will always detest Pogba. With his contract expiring in the summer, there is no talks of a renewal and hence he could potentially leave by January itself.