11 Most Expensive French Players in Premier League History (Ranked)

The link between France and the Premier League runs deep. So much so, in fact, that since 1992, the European talent factory has been responsible for more players in England’s top flight than any other nation outside the British Isles.

Only Scotland and, naturally, England can boast more Premier League players than France. Not the Republic of Ireland, not Wales, not the Netherlands, France. It has been a difficult transition for some, but one lined with success for others, who have become legends at some of the division’s biggest clubs.

But as with anything of quality, securing the services of Les Bleus’ players does not come cheap. Here is a closer look at the most expensive French players ever purchased by a Premier League club since the great influx of Gallic talent began.

11

Eliaquim Mangala – £38.7m

From FC Porto to Manchester City (2014)

Before 2014 and the arrival of Eliaquim Mangala at Manchester City, no English club had ever spent such a fee on the recruitment of a defender. £38.7m to be precise. A staggering sum for a transfer that ultimately saw Mangala earn the unwanted distinction as one of the Premier League’s biggest flops.

Regularly injured and often sidelined, the 2018 English champion endured a tumultuous stay at the Etihad Stadium, before leaving for good in 2019, after loans to Valencia and Everton. Now playing for Estoril Praia, the 33-year-old has not had the career that many expected of him, despite having played for several prestigious clubs.

10

Axel Disasi – £38.7m

From AS Monaco to Chelsea (2023)

Axel Disasi has enjoyed mixed fortunes since joining Chelsea in August 2023. One of the few players in the Blues’ squad to have been relatively unaffected by physical issues, the French centre-back has been fit but frustratingly inconsistent.

The chaos engulfing Chelsea during Disasi’s debut campaign certainly did not help. The fifth most-used player by Mauricio Pochettino in the 2023/24 season had to start from scratch following the arrival of the new coach, Enzo Maresca. The fitness issues which plagued his teammates finally caught up to Disasi as injury derailed his pre-season preparations, immediately putting the expensive recruit on the back foot.

9

Alexandre Lacazette – £45.6m

From Olympique Lyonnais to Arsenal (2017)

Five years at the Emirates Stadium saw Alexandre Lacazette lead Arsenal’s attack on 206 occasions. It was a relatively successful spell in England for the French striker, who also managed to score 104 times, and was marked by his partnership with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The well-balanced pairing helped Arsenal reach the Europa League final in 2019 but unfortunately failed to take them back to the Champions League. In the summer of 2022, after a disappointing season and at the end of his contract, the man nicknamed ‘The General’ returned to Olympique Lyonnais, his boyhood club, where he is now considered one of their greatest legends.

Related

The 13 Top Scorers in North London Derby History

GIVEMESPORT looks at the top scorers in the history of the fixture between Arsenal and Tottenham, featuring Thierry Henry and Harry Kane.

8

Moussa Diaby – £47.3m

From Bayer Leverkusen to Aston Villa (2023)

Like many youngsters who have come through the ranks of Paris Saint-Germain, Moussa Diaby had to leave the French capital to launch his career. It was at Bayer Leverkusen, where he spent four years between 2019 and 2023, that the striker finally revealed himself to the eyes of European football.

After a successful spell in Germany, Diaby joined Aston Villa in 2023. It was a fruitful spell for the 24-year-old, who made 54 appearances in all competitions, scoring 10 goals on top of nine assists, and played a key role in the Villans’ superb run that saw them finish in a lofty fourth place. Diaby never got to reap the rewards of that historic Champions League qualification. The France international jetted off to Saudi Arabia to sign for Al Ittihad one year after landing in Birmingham.

7

Benjamin Mendy – £49.5m

From AS Monaco to Manchester City (2017)

In July 2017, just a few weeks after teaming up with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Bernardo Silva to help AS Monaco reach the semi-finals of the Champions League and lift the Ligue 1 title, Benjamin Mendy joined Manchester City for a sum in the region of £49.5m – record fee for a left-back at the time.

After rupturing cruciate ligaments in his first season, the Frenchman suffered a series of injuries that kept him out of action for weeks at a time, never allowing him to make more than 20 Premier League appearances in a single campaign. Despite these setbacks, Mendy was crowned English champion four times between 2017 and 2023.

6

Christopher Nkunku – £51.6m

From RB Leipzig to Chelsea (2023)

Like Diaby, Christopher Nkunku had to leave Paris Saint-Germain to gain experience. And like Diaby, it was in Germany, at RB Leipzig to be precise, that the striker made a name for himself. After finishing as the division’s top scorer at the end of the 2022/23 season with 19 goals, he finally decided to take things to the next level by joining Chelsea.

Unfortunately for him, however, his first year in the UK did not go as expected. Nkunku was blighted by serious injuries and was forced to miss 39 games for the Blues. During his fleeting appearances, the swift shadow striker was still able to give fans a glimpse of his talent.

5

Anthony Martial – £51.6m

From AS Monaco to Manchester United (2015)

Regarded as one of the greatest talents to emerge from the renowned Olympique Lyonnais academy, it was with AS Monaco that Anthony Martial first came to public attention. His performances were enough to convince Manchester United to invest more than £50m and make him one of the most expensive teenagers in Premier League history.

Martial’s idyllic start, stroking in a debut goal against arch-rivals Liverpool, seemed to have vindicated the Red Devils’ decision to spend such a large sum. However, the rest of his adventure proved to be full of ups and downs, with the striker still managing to score 90 goals in 317 games for Manchester United before leaving the club in 2024.

4

Tanguy Ndombele – £53.3m

From Olympique Lyonnais to Tottenham (2019)

The streets won’t forget him. A revelation at Amiens before exploding in the colours of Olympique Lyonnais, Tanguy Ndombele seemed to have no real glass ceiling. This was certainly one of the reasons why Tottenham agreed to pay the hulking sum demanded by the French club to release him in 2019.

But once again, not everything went according to plan for the France international. Aside from an interesting 2020/21 season, his time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was deeply disappointing, marked by chronic inconsistency. After mixed loan spells back at Lyon, Napoli and Galatasaray, the misfit midfielder finally got off the books at Spurs, moving to the Cote d’Azur in the hope of relaunching his career with OGC Nice.

3

Leny Yoro – £53.3m

From LOSC Lille to Manchester United (2024)

Regarded as the replacement for Raphael Varane, who left Manchester United in the same summer, Leny Yoro is undoubtedly one of the most promising young defenders on the planet. The Red Devils’ management are well aware of this, not hesitating to break the bank to secure the services of the former LOSC man.

His start to life with the English club may not be ideal, with an injury sustained during pre-season likely to keep him out of action for several weeks, but the Frenchman’s future looks bright. Once he has recovered, his presence in Erik ten Hag’s starting XI should quickly become normal, and the pairing he will form with Lisandro Martinez looks promising.

2

Wesley Fofana – £69.2m

From Leicester City to Chelsea (2022)

The story of Wesley Fofana and Chelsea makes for grim reading. Bought by the Blues from Leicester City for around £69m in 2022, the French defender has had a crippling run of bad luck. First, he suffered an injury that cost him a place at the 2022 World Cup, then, he ruptured cruciate ligaments, forcing him to sit out the entire 2023/24 campaign.

Even during a rare pre-season free of injury, the luckless French centre-back found himself at the epicentre of the controversy surrounding his teammate, Enzo Fernandez. Fofana was the first to speak out following the emergence of video footage that showed Fernandez singing a chant which the French football federation described as “racist and discriminatory”. The Argentine midfielder subsequently apologised and Fofana insisted the matter had been put to bed.

Related

Ranking the 15 Most Expensive Centre-Backs in Football History

With the inflation of the transfer market, the price of the centre-backs has exploded in the last few years.

1

Paul Pogba – £90.3m

From Juventus to Manchester United (2016)

Never before has a player cost Manchester United as much as Paul Pogba. The French midfielder was already on the club’s books, spending three years in the academy before leaving for Juventus on a free transfer in 2012. Pogba returned to Old Trafford for a then-world-record fee after honing his almost supernatural talent in Serie A and was poised to be a future all-time great.

But as the years went by, Pogba never quite fulfilled his abundant promise at club level and the 2018 World Cup winner always struggled to find his place with the Red Devils. The eye-watering transfer is considered a relative failure and one that still leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of Manchester United fans and managers alike.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 8th August 2024.