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      Top 10 most expensive football transfers ever including TWO Todd Boehly signings, Mbappe to PSG and a Barcelona flop

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      £100MILLION transfers are the going currency rate for football stars – but who ranks in the Top 10 most expensive deals.Inflation, along with increasingly eye-watering TV deals, have driven fees up and up.
      Paul Pogba, 30, was let go by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2012 to Juventus for £1.5mCredit: Reuters
      And you won’t stand a chance of scooping one of the game’s biggest names unless you have a nine-figure wadge to spend.
      Manchester United were the first giant to edge close to the £100m barrier way back in 2016, when they splashed £89m to bring Paul Pogba back to Old Trafford.
      And that set the ball rolling, with transfer spends in elite league increasing every year.
      According to Fifa’s official figures last year, Premier League spent £1.6 BILLION on players with the up-and-coming Saudi Pro League coming runner-up with £701MILLION.
      £100million is the new benchmark for top talent. And even that’s not always enough.
      According to AS, Liverpool failed in their attempt to secure £100m Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle in the summer, after Chelsea gazumped them for Moises Caicedo.
      While Brentford have warned that even that incredible sum might not secure the services of Ivan Toney this winter.
      Here, SunSport takes a look at the most expensive football transfers – and not all have lived up to their massive price-tags…
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      10 – Declan Rice (£105m, 2023)
      Declan Rice is the second-most expensive English playerCredit: Getty
      Tipped to be Arsenal’s future captain, Declan Rice made the move from West Ham in a £105m last summer after skippering the Irons to Europa Conference League glory.
      Rice attracted interest from Europe’s top clubs, including Chelsea, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Manchester City.
      Former Stamford Bridge boss, Frank Lampard admitted he wanted to sign the Englishman to make him the Blues’ long-term captain.
      Ultimately, Rice made his own decision on his next steps, and that was to join Arsenal in a club record deal.
      Arsenal’s acquisition for the 24-year-old was not easy after facing strong competition from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
      City saw their £90m bid rejected as Arsenal gazumped them.
      9 – Antoine Griezmann (£108m, 2019)
      Antoine Griezmann is fourth in France’s all-time top goal scorers listCredit: AFP
      2018 World Cup-winner Antoine Griezmann left Atletico Madrid to link up with Lionel Messi and Barcelona for a huge £108million in 2019.
      The Spanish giants, included a buyout clause of a staggering £690m.
      Unfortunately, the Frenchman flopped after his big money move, scoring just 35 goals in 102 matches in 3 seasons for Barcelona.
      Remarkably, Griezmann has never won a LaLiga which was his expectation when he joined 27-time winners.
      In 2022, Griezmann, now 32, decided to re-join old boss Diego Simeone at Atletico and has immediately got back to his best, scoring 11 goals and registering 3 assists in this LaLiga campaign.
      And in January 2024, he become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, overtaking the legend Luis Aragones.
      8 – Enzo Fernandez (£110m, 2023)
      Enzo Fernandez broke British-record transfer when he joined Chelsea for £110m from BenficaCredit: Getty
      Enzo Fernandez’s remarkable performances in the 2022 World Cup saw his value astronomically rise, catching the eye of Chelsea owner, Todd Boehly.
      Fernandez, 22, was bought by Todd Boehly in a £106m deal, rising to £110m, after winning the Young Player Award at the World Cup which caused his astronomical value to rise.
      The 22-year-old had only played 29 games in Europe for Benfica since joining from River Plate.
      His time at Chelsea has been mixed so far, although he still has eight years of his nine-year contract left to prove himself.
      7 – Joao Felix (£112m, 2019)
      Joao Felix won the 2019 Golden Boy award at Atletico Madrid beating the likes of Erling Haaland and Jadon SanchoCredit: Getty
      Atletico Madrid spent their Griezmann cash on Portuguese prospect Joao Felix in a staggering £112m deal from Benfica.
      He had impressed in his first full campaign in the Primeira Liga, with the forward scoring 15 goals and registering 9 assists from 21 starts
      That prompted Atletico to make him the then-fifth most expensive player of all time.
      However, he never hit the heights at Atletico, and is currently with Barcelona after a failed loan at Chelsea.
      6 – Jude Bellingham (£115m, 2023)
      Birmingham City decided to retire Bellingham’s previous number which was 22Credit: Getty
      The hottest talent in world football made the move to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in 2023 for £115m.
      Bellingham was the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or Kopa Trophy in 2023.
      The Birmingham graduate made his official first-team debut at the age of 16, in their 0-3 defeat to Portsmouth in the EFL Carabao Cup.
      And his world-class talent was clear to see in his first few games.
      In 2020, Manchester United reportedly offered Birmingham City £30m for the then 16-year-old.
      Bellingham snubbed the move and made his decision to join Borussia Dortmund.
      Few years later he earned his massive move to Madrid, becoming the most expensive British player ever.
      The 20-year-old has taken his game to the next level with the star recording 17 goals and 5 assists in his 23 games for Real Madrid.
      And his is already the main man at the Bernabeu.
      5 – Moises Caicedo (£115m, 2023)
      Moises Caicedo has had a tough time adapting to life at Stamford BridgeCredit: Alamy
      Just when everyone thought Chelsea owner Todd Boehly couldn’t break the bank even more, he smashed the British transfer record.
      The Blues gazumped Liverpool to sign Brighton’s Moises Caicedo in a crazy £115m transfer after one of the sagas of the 2023 summer transfer window.
      The Seagulls had bought his for just £4m from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle two years earlier.
      He has had a tough time justifying his mega transfer fee at Stamford Bridge – and the jury is still out on that deal.
      4 – Ousmane Dembele (£138m, 2017)
      Ousmane Dembele has never lived up to his feeCredit: AFP
      Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona in 2017 from Borussia Dortmund for an upfront fee on £96.8m – with the transfer potentially rising for a WHOPPING £135.5m.
      Unfortunately, the two-footed forward has since endured several injuries which has derailed his potential.
      He won three LaLiga titles with Barca… but never played a truly key role in the side.
      And now, still only 26, he finds himself back in his home country with Paris Saint-Germain – after joining for just over £40m in 2023.
      That represents a pretty substantial loss on the player for the now cash-strapped Catalans.
      3 – Philippe Coutinho (£145m, 2018)
      Philippe Coutinho flopped at Barcelona with the Brazilian recording 25 goals and 14 assists in 106 appearances.Credit: AFP
      Philippe Coutinho moved to Barca from Liverpool in 2018 for an incredible £145m, including hefty add-ons.
      Like Dembele, Coutinho never hit the heights at Barcelona despite his impressive spell with Jurgen Klopp’s Reds.
      Liverpool, on the other hand, spend the money on Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, transforming themselves into perennial title challengers.
      Coutinho, now 31, now finds himself in Qatar with Al-Duhail, on loan from Aston Villa.
      He is tipped to end up in the USA.
      2 – Kylian Mbappe (£162m, 2018) 
      Kylian Mbappe is closing in on Olivier Giroud on France’s all-time top goalscorers listCredit: Getty
      Kylian Mbappe has almost certainly worth every penny of the £162million PSG spent on him from Ligue 1 rivals Monaco.
      Well, apart from his continued failure to win them the Champions League.
      He’s fired the French heavyweights to five Ligue 1 titles in six years and a bunch of cups. But the closest he got to European glory was a final loss to Bayern Munich in 2020.
      Add in a World Cup with France in 2018 and hat-trick in defeat to Argentina in final in 2022, and he’s cemented himself as without doubt one of the best players in the world.
      He is expected to leave in the summer of 2024, with Real Madrid his expected destination.
      1 – Neymar (£198m, 2017) 
      Neymar still holds the most expensive transfer of all time SEVEN years from the MEGA-DEALCredit: AFP
      Neymar joined PSG from Barcelona for an astonishing £198MILLION deal, which smashed the then-world record £89m United paid for Pogba.
      Brazilian forward reportedly felt he was in Lionel Messi’s shadow at Barcelona so he took it upon himself to move.
      Life at Paris saw Neymar record 118 goals and 77 assists in 173 games, but injuries affected the 31-year-old career.
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      Neymar, like Mbappe, thrived domestically with PSG but failed to get that elusive European glory.
      He ultimately left for a very lucrative switch to Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal, earning a mouthwatering £2.5m-A-WEEK. More

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      Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino left red-faced after £115m signing Moises Caicedo appears to have stitched him up

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      MAURICIO POCHETTINO has been left red-faced by his own player, Moises Caicedo following Chelsea’s loss to Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup.Chelsea lost the first leg of their semi-final 1-0 at Middlesbrough on Tuesday.
      Moises Caicedo accidentally stitched up his gafferCredit: Getty
      Pochettino took solace in the fact that Moises Caicedo had told him that his former side Brighton had also lost there last year.
      But in actual fact, Brighton beat Boro 5-1 in last year’s third round of the FA Cup.
      Immediately after the game, Pochettino said: “If you see the previous years, other Premier League teams went out to Middlesbrough.
      “It was Caicedo telling me that ‘we lost last year to Middlesbrough with Brighton’ and many Premier League teams, when they play in the cups there, they lose.”
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      Caicedo’s memory had clearly failed him, given he played the entire 90 minutes of Brighton’s 5-1 victory.
      Alexis Mac Allister netted two goals, Pascal Gross, Adam Lallana and Deniz Under netted the other goals for the Seagulls.
      In fact, the last time Middlesbrough beat Brighton was a 3-0 victory in the Championship 2015-16 season.
      Middlesbrough have claimed a couple of Premier League scalps in recent seasons though.
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      They knocked both Manchester United and Tottenham out of the 2021-22 FA Cup on their way to the quarter-finals, where they lost to Chelsea.
      Pochettino did not shirk responsibility for the Middlebrough loss and said it was time to focus on their West London derby with Fulham in Saturday’s early kick off.
      He said: “We are Chelsea and we cannot afford to lose these kinds of games but, to be honest, if you played 100 times, maybe you lose one because it is football and not another sport.
      “We got criticised but sometimes it is good, we can learn with the criticism and we need to be tough, we need to feel the pressure to grow.
      “For us it is important to perform and to win.
      “We didn’t perform badly against Middlesbrough. We came from a few victories. We need to keep the momentum. It is true after the first leg we are 1-0 down but we need to keep the belief.
      “It is important to realise we are still alive and we have the second leg at Stamford Bridge. We will fight to be in the final. We know when you lose a game to a Championship team, we need to accept the criticism.’ More

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      Former Chelsea boss ‘favourite’ to replace Stefano Pioli as AC Milan boss after ten months unemployed

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      FORMER Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is the favourite to replace Stefano Pioli at AC Milan – according to Italian media.The Italian has been unemployed for 10 months after being sacked by Spurs in March of last year.
      Conte’s tenure as Spurs manager ended in miseryCredit: PA
      But he could be in line for a return to management as soon as this month with Pioli on thin ice at AC Milan.
      Pioli has been under pressure for several months and Wednesday’s cup exit to Atalanta only intensified scrutiny over his job.
      Gazzetta Dello Sport report that fans have turned on Pioli and had #PioliOut trending on Twitter the evening of their cup exit.
      They have already earmarked Conte as the man they want and used the hashtag #ConteIn.
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      Conte was already linked with the Milan last season when Spurs travelled to the San Siro for their round of 16 Champions League defeat.
      His failure to beat Milan in the corresponding fixture was effectively the death knell of his tenure at Tottenham.
      He praised Milan after they knocked a pathetically drab Spurs out and said: “In this moment we don’t have a solid foundation to be competitive to fight and win, in my opinion.
      “In terms of history, these two clubs are on totally different levels. Milan won the Serie A title last season, whereas we scraped through by a miracle going from ninth place to fourth. So this is certainly a step forward.”
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      Conte has been on record saying he will not accept a project halfway through a season – having regretted doing so when he took over Spurs in November 2021.
      Conte managed Milan’s rivals, Inter, from 2019 until 2021 but his association with him is not thought to harm his chances of joining the Rossoneri.
      Milan and Inter have a friendly rivalry known as the “derby of the cousins”.
      A whopping 27 players have played for both Milan and Inter. More

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      Chelsea fans say why Ivan Toney should pick Blues over Arsenal on The Sun’s football show The Tap In 

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      CHELSEA Fan TV YouTube sensations Alex Harris and Charlie Patrick join Will Pugh and Izzy Barker on episode three of SunSport’s Tap In. The lads urge billionaire owner Todd Boehly to spend EVEN MORE MONEY in the transfer market despite the American already coughing up more than £1billion on players.
      Chelsea Fan TV YouTube sensations Alex Harris and Charlie Patrick join Will Pugh and Izzy Barker on episode three of SunSport’s Tap In.Credit: The Sun
      They question Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to strip legend Thiago Silva of the captain’s armband and hand it to Reece James.
      “I know why he has done it. Silva probably isn’t going to be there next season. You want to build your squad around a player that’s going to be there.
      “But if I was in the dressing room I would be thinking why is a player that is always injured given the captaincy when I’m the one on the pitch.”
      They give bitter rivals Tottenham a ribbing after they signed frustrating ex-Blues winger Timo Werner.
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      “It’s a weird one. He’s going on loan to Tottenham and it’s not like they’re getting an amazing player and he’s going to be unbelievable.”
      And Alex talks directly to Ivan Toney and gives an impassioned speech on why the Brentford striker would be mad to choose Manchester United or Tottenham over Stamford Bridge.
      “I don’t think the gap between Chelsea and Arsenal is that big.
      “If he can do it at Brentford he can do it at Chelsea. We’re a mid table club and we’re well below par but the gap is not that far.”
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      The Blues fans’ loyalties are put to the test in superbly named MAUR MAUR MAUR or TTIN POT.
      And they finish by trying to beat fans of Chelsea’s arch London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal to go top of The Perfect Delivery leaderboard.
      Watch this week’s brilliant episode on the SunSport YouTube channel. More

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      Conor Gallagher unlikely to quit Chelsea with Spurs circling… but England midfielder not part of Poch’s long-term plan

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      CONOR GALLAGHER is now “unlikely” to leave Chelsea this month – but Tottenham will not give up on signing the player.SunSport has learned that Mauricio Pochettino has made clear that selling Gallagher, 23, this month would be a mistake. 
      Conor Gallagher is unlikely to leave Chelsea in the January transfer windowCredit: Getty
      Tottenham won’t give up on Chelsea ace Gallagher and will come back in the summerCredit: Rex
      It means Spurs are unlikely to get their wish of a January transfer switch but they will come back in for him over the summer. 
      Our source said: “Tottenham want to sign Conor, but there’s a massive timing issue at play.
      “Chelsea had been open-minded to letting the player go a couple of months ago and Spurs thought the deal was in place. 
      “But in recent weeks Conor has become of vital importance to the team and the manager thinks letting him go now could lead to major problems in the second half of the season. 
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      “He’s not necessarily a part of Pochettino’s long-term plans but he is seen as a vital part of the project for the time being.
      “Gallagher is in no rush to leave the club and wants to help them to turn the season around.
      “He is also massively popular with the fans and the board will fear a massive backlash if they let him go and he takes Spurs, one of Chelsea’s biggest rivals, into the Champions League while they are left stuck in the middle of the table.”
      Ange Postecoglou wants to secure a midfielder in the break between Sunday’s trip to Manchester United and the FA Cup fourth-round game against Manchester City.
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      Gallagher has been a keen man for Chelsea this season, outperforming expensive signings
      He wants an all-action star who can be in imposing presence in the middle but also alternate with James Maddison in a more advanced position if required.
      Gallagher has been the player who best fits the profile, and Chelsea have previously indicated they are willing to do a deal for the right price.
      That could be up to £50million, although there are more potential complications. 
      “Conor is basically the player Poch trusts most for his tactical ideas, he is perfect for the 4-3-3 system.
      “So many others still need to get used to that system, and Pochettino is reluctant to let such a player go during such an inconsistent period of results so early in his time.”
      Gallagher is enjoying the greater responsibility at Chelsea, having captained the side in the absence of Reece James and Ben Chilwell. More

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      £72m Chelsea flop Kepa fears he will be sent back to Stamford Bridge after series of howlers at Real Madrid

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      KEPA fears he will be sent back to Chelsea this summer after falling out of favour at Real Madrid.The on-loan keeper was slammed for his performance in Wednesday’s Spanish Super Cup against city rivals Atletico Madrid.
      Kepa Arrizibalaga is concerned he may be sent back to Chelsea this summerCredit: Reuters
      The Real Madrid keeper has been lambasted for making a number of mistakes since returning to SpainCredit: AFP
      Real won 5-3 in a game played in Saudi Arabia but Kepa was accused of making a string of errors.
      He has played only one La Liga match for the European titans since early November and is now regarded as the ‘cup’ keeper.
      Ukrainian keeper Andriy Lunin has replaced Kepa in the starting line up and the mind of boss Carlo Ancelotti.
      Kepa is now growing anxious that he will not be granted a permanent move back to Spain when his loan expires at the end of the season.
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      The world’s most expensive keeper made it public that he fancied quitting Chelsea for good when he signed the surprise temporary deal last summer – just a short time before the Premier League campaign kicked off.
      Injury has hampered his progress but the £72 million star has vowed to fight for his place.
      A source told SunSport: “He has been very unlucky. He got injured while playing his best. He loves Madrid and really wants to stay.
      “He will not give up.”
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      Kepa is under contract to Chelsea until the end of next season. But The club has moved on in his absence.
      Boss Mauricio Pochettino signed Brighton’s Robert Sanchez soon after he left for Madrid.
      And they have also brought in Serbian keeper Djordje Petrovic who has been impressive while standing in for injured Sanchez recently. More

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      Forgotten Chelsea star David Datro Fofana has loan transfer cancelled with European giants ‘plotting move’

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      CHELSEA star David Datro Fofana has seen his Union Berlin loan terminated as he is linked with another move away from Stamford Bridge.The Ivorian striker, 21, scored twice in 17 appearances for the Bundesliga club after joining them in the summer.
      David Datro Fofana’s loan at Union Berlin has been terminatedCredit: Getty
      In October, the German outfit suspended him after he reacted angrily to being substituted during a Champions League clash with Napoli.
      Fofana, who joined Chelsea for £8million 12 months ago, snubbed a handshake from Union manager Urs Fischer for which the club issued him with a one-week ban.
      He later apologised for his actions.
      Now Chelsea have confirmed he has returned to West London, but he is expected to leave on loan again before the end of the month.
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      Last week, it was reported Sevilla are keen to bring Fofana in for the rest of the campaign.
      The LaLiga side are down in 16th place in the Spanish top flight and have scored just 23 goals in 19 matches.
      Fofana made four appearances for Chelsea last season before being sent on loan in the summer.
      He bagged his first goal for Union in a 1-1 Champions League draw with Napoli in November.
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      He finally got off the mark in the Bundesliga by scoring against Koln in the last game before the winter break last month.
      Fofana has been capped three times by the Ivory Coast but failed to make the cut for their Africa Cup of Nations squad.
      Meanwhile, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is still searching for a top-level striker to lead the line despite the Blues having spent £1billion over the last 18 months.
      Cole Palmer, Armando Broja and Nicolas Jackson have all been used up front in recent weeks.
      Chelsea sit 10th in the Premier League table, 12 points adrift of the top four.
      And they were beaten 1-0 away at Middlesbrough in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday night. More

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      Emma Hayes ‘gutted’ for Sam Kerr following Chelsea star’s knee ligament injury with striker to undergo operation

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      EMMA HAYES admits to feeling “gutted” for Sam Kerr after revealing the Chelsea ace is undergoing surgery today following her season-ending knee injury .The Blues striker, 30, ruptured an anterior ligament during her club’s winter training camp in Morocco.
      Sam Kerr will miss the rest of this season after sustaining an ACL injury during Chelsea’s winter training camp earlier this monthCredit: PA
      Emma Hayes says the Kerr’s team-mates and the club will be there to support her with her rehabilitation and recoveryCredit: Getty
      Hayes, whose side will face West Ham in the Women’s FA Cup on Sunday, says the Australia ace suffered the injury whilst practicing her shooting.
      The Chelsea gaffer told Sky Sports: “I’m gutted for her. I’m gutted for the team.
      “These things happen in football, she knows that.
      “I think the important thing is we’re here to support her. The recovery and the rehab begins today.
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      “She did it doing a football action she does every day, turning and shooting. It’s something very simple and innocuous.”
      Since her January 2020 Blues debut Kerr has been a key players for the WSL leaders helping them win three WSL titles, three FA Cups and two Conti Cup trophies.
      This season the striker, who has been serving as a stand-in skipper for crocked club captain Millie Bright, notched up four goals in eight top-flight games
      And she scored five times in four Champions League matches.
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      While Hayes admits Kerr’s presence on the pitch will be missed, she insists the focus needs to be on players who are fit with Chelsea chasing a seventh WSL crown and Champions League glory.
      Chelsea’s fourth round Women’s FA Cup clash with West Ham could see Nathalie Bjorn make her debut for the club after signing from EvertonCredit: Getty
      The Blues gaffer, who will leave the club at the end of this season to become USA Women’s head coach, added: “I know Sam would expect me to say nothing less than our focus has got to be on the players that are fit.
      “We have a quality squad and it’s a good challenge for me as a coach to find those solutions. I trust in the squad that we have.
      “We’ve added to that as well. I think the focus and the attention has to go on the players that are here.” More