25 Most Expensive Serie A Signings Of All Time

During the 1980s and 1990s, Serie A was arguably the most prestigious club competition in Europe, with its clubs dominating continental football.

Back in its glory days, Serie A venues had the honour of hosting some of the greatest players of all time, including Diego Maradona, Marco van Basten, Gabriel Batistuta and Ronaldo.

However, the league has been in a steady decline for over two decades, losing much of its glamour and becoming a hotbed of talents often sold off to the highest bidder abroad.

For years, clubs like Inter Milan, Roma and Lazio were nowhere to be seen in the transfer window, let alone compete with financially superior sides from the Premier League and La Liga.

Our list of the top ten most expensive signings in Serie A history may leave some of you shocked and in disbelief, but that remains the league’s sad reality.

Below are the 25 most lucrative signings completed by some of the most prominent Italian clubs.

#25 Patrik Schick – €42m (Sampdoria to Roma, 2017)

After just one season at Sampdoria, Schick joined Roma in the club’s record transfer in 2017 to replace none other than Francesco Totti, carrying a massive weight of expectations on his shoulders.

However, things didn’t work out for the Czech forward, who struggled to find his footing at the Stadio Olimpico, netting just eight goals in 58 matches during his three-year stint at the club.

Roma tried to revive his career by loaning him out to RB Leipzig for the 2019/20 season, but eventually sold him to Bayer Leverkusen the following year for almost half the fee they had paid La Samp three years earlier.

#24 Lois Openda – €42.75m (RB Leipzig to Juventus, 2025)

Openda was a star in the making during his prolific spell at Lens, but his potential truly came to life at the Red Bull Arena, where he established himself as one of Europe’s most exciting attacking prospects.

Juventus thought they had signed a world-beater when they beat several top European clubs to secure Openda’s signature in 2025, only for the Belgian striker to score just a single goal in his first Serie A season.

He’ll now try to get back on track after joining Lyon on a season-long loan.

#23 Achraf Hakimi – €43m (Borussia Dortmund to Inter Milan, 2020)

Even though Hakimi’s career at the Giuseppe Meazza was short-lived, he left his mark in Serie A, helping Inter end a decade-long Scudetto drought in his only season at the club.

In doing so, he cemented his place as one of the world’s best right-backs, earning a blockbuster €60m move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, and the rest is history.

He is now a back-to-back European champion with Les Parisiens and one of the most influential figures in PSG’s dressing room.

#22 Rasmus Hojlund – €44m (Manchester United to Napoli, 2025)

Napoli initially signed Hojlund on loan, but they had to include a mandatory buy-out clause as Manchester United were desperate to get the Dane’s substantial wages off their books.

With Romelu Lukaku injured, the former Atalanta centre-forward immediately emerged as Antonio Conte’s first option in attack, but he scored just 12 times in 33 league matches during his first season in Naples.

That was hardly what Aurelio De Laurentiis expected when he made Hojlund one of Napoli’s most expensive signings.

#21 Federico Chiesa – €44.6m (Fiorentina to Juventus, 2022)

In true ‘Juventus fashion,’ the Bianconeri signed Chiesa on a two-year loan with an obligation to buy in 2020, winning the race for his signature ahead of Milan, Inter and several other top teams.

Chiesa’s early career in Turin offered plenty of promise, as the Italian winger quickly became one of Juventus’ most dangerous attacking outlets.

Yet, after falling out of favour with Massimiliano Allegri, the former Fiorentina star severed ties with the record-time Serie A champions to join Liverpool, making the biggest mistake in his career.

#20 Joao Mario – €44.78m (Sporting CP to Inter Milan, 2016)

Inter don’t often make mistakes like this, but Mario’s impressive form at Sporting CP convinced the Nerazzurri to splash out €44.78m on the Portuguese midfielder in 2016.

After three loan spells at West Ham United, Lokomotiv Moscow and Sporting, he left the club as a flop and returned to his homeland in 2021, signing a long-term contract with Benfica.

Perhaps one of the worst transfers on this list!

#19 Pavel Nedved – €45m (Lazio to Juventus, 2001)

Juventus shocked world football when they signed Nedved from Lazio in one of the most expensive transfers at the time, but they had to replace Zinedine Zidane, who had just joined Real Madrid.

Nedved was already an established Serie A star by the time he arrived in Turin, having spent five successful years at Lazio and developed into one of the league’s elite midfielders.

He won consecutive league titles in his first two seasons and stuck with Juventus even after their relegation to Serie B, cementing his status as one of the club’s greatest-ever servants.

#18 Christian Vieri – €46.48m (Lazio to Inter Milan, 1999)

Inter shattered the world record to lure Vieri away from Italy’s capital in 1999 as Marcelo Lippi urged Massimo Moratti to sign one of the most coveted strikers of his generation.

Despite winning just one Coppa Italia title with the Nerazzurri, Vieri excelled during his six-year stint at the Meazza, scoring 123 goals in 190 appearances across all competitions and finishing as Serie A’s top scorer in 2002/03.

He nearly tarnished his legacy by swapping allegiances at San Siro in 2005.

#17 Gaizka Mendieta – €48m (Valencia to Lazio, 2001)

During his eight-year stint at Valencia between 1993 and 2001, Mendieta amassed north of 230 La Liga appearances en route to becoming part of Mestalla folklore.

Lazio had hoped that dashing out €48m to sign the Spanish playmaker would compensate for Nedved’s heartbreaking departure.

However, Mendieta miserably flopped at the Olimpico, going down in history as one of the worst investments the Biancocelesti have ever made.

#16 Rafael Leao – €49.5m (Lille to AC Milan, 2019)

Leao joined Milan as a rising star from Lille in 2019, but it took him a few years to truly unlock his immense potential and establish himself as one of Serie A’s standout performers.

Stefano Pioli played a crucial role in Leao’s development, giving the Portuguese forward the freedom to thrive in a dynamic attacking role, and he repaid that trust by leading the Rossoneri to the Scudetto in 2021/22.

The 27-year-old emerged as one of the leading figures at San Siro, but after a disappointing 2025/26 season under Max Allegri, he is now on the verge of ending his seven-year association with the club.

#15 Hirving Lozano – €50m (PSV Eindhoven to Napoli, 2019)

Lozano’s move from PSV Eindhoven to Napoli outshone Leao’s transfer in the summer of 2019, as the diminutive Mexican winger became the Partenopei’s record signing at the time.

He spent four years at the Diego Maradona Stadium and was part of the team that won the Scudetto in 2022/23, yet his time in Naples was ultimately underwhelming.

After just 30 goals in 155 appearances for Napoli, he returned to PSV in 2023.

#14 Gleison Bremer – €51.3m (Torino to Juventus, 2022)

Regarded as one of the best Serie A defenders, Bremer left Torino to join city rivals Juventus in a controversial €51.3m transfer in the summer of 2022, signing a five-year contract.

The Brazilian quickly nailed down a starting spot at the Allianz Stadium, becoming one of the cornerstones of the Bianconeri team despite several managerial changes in recent years.

Unfortunately, recurring injuries have disrupted his progress in Turin, with a serious knee problem ruling him out for much of the 2024/25 season and limiting him to just a handful of appearances.

#13 Douglas Luiz – €51.5m (Aston Villa to Juventus, 2024)

Juventus wanted Luiz so badly that they sacrificed two talented youngsters to convince Aston Villa to sell their midfield stalwart in 2024, sending Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea in the opposite direction.

His arrival was supposed to settle the Bianconeri midfield for years, but the Brazilian could not adjust to the new setting, forcing the club to loan him out to Nottingham Forest and Villa in quick succession.

It remains uncertain whether Juventus will give Luiz another chance or look to cut their losses and move him on permanently this summer.

#12 Gianluigi Buffon – €52.88m (Parma to Juventus, 2001)

Buffon repaid every penny Juventus poured into Parma’s coffers in 2001, becoming one of the club’s symbols and one of the best goalkeepers the world has ever seen.

During his trophy-laden stint in Turin, Buffon was named Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year a record twelve times and was the first shot-stopper to win the Serie A Footballer of the Year award.

He left the Allianz Stadium to join PSG in 2018 but returned to his beloved city a year later.

#11 Hernan Crespo – €56.8m (Parma to Lazio, 2000)

Like all other Serie A greats in the 1990s, Crespo plied his trade at Parma for four years before earning a then-world record €56.8m transfer to Lazio in 2000.

In stark contrast to Mendieta’s underwhelming stint in Rome, the famous Argentine striker lived up to the billing, hauling a substantial number of goals before departing for Inter in 2002.

Lazio’s financial troubles at the time forced the club to let several indispensable first-team stars, including Alessandro Nesta, leave the capital for direct Serie A rivals.

#10 Teun Koopmeiners – €58.4 (Atalanta to Juventus, 2024)

Koopmeiners’ meteoric rise in Bergamo put him on the map, with numerous European heavyweights trying to strike a deal with Atalanta in 2024, but Juventus came out on top.

After an impressive first season in Turin, the Dutch midfielder suffered a sudden fall from grace and finished the 2025/26 campaign without a single goal contribution across 33 league appearances.

It’s unsurprising that the Bianconeri are desperate to recoup their investment.

#9 Nico Paz – €66m (Real Madrid to Como, 2026)

Paz swapped the Santiago Bernabeu for Como in 2024 for a measly €6m and went on to become one of the most sought-after youngsters in world football, let alone Serie A.

Madrid triggered their €9m buy-back option in the summer of 2026, only to sell the Argentine forward back to Como for a staggering €60m, making him the club’s record signing.

Based on his first two seasons at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Paz looks more than capable of justifying Como’s record investment.

#8 Romelu Lukaku – €74m (Manchester United to Inter Milan, 2019)

Following an infamous spell at Manchester United, Lukaku left the Premier League to join Inter in summer 2019, completing arguably the best move of his career.

Under Conte’s watchful eye, the Belgian striker outshone even Cristiano Ronaldo as he helped the Nerazzurri break Juventus’ long-term dominance of Serie A back in 2020/21.

Lukaku’s stellar form at the Meazza allowed Inter to make a healthy profit from his mega-money return to Chelsea in 2021, only to take him back on a season-long loan the following summer.

#7 Goncalo Ramos – €74m (Paris Saint-Germain to AC Milan, 2026)

One of the most shocking transfers on this list, Ramos’ €74m move from PSG to Milan came as a major surprise given his well-documented struggles at the Parc des Princes over the past few years.

Ruben Amorim was desperate to sign a world-class striker, but the Rossoneri may not have thought this one through before making the Portuguese centre-forward their record signing.

For context, Ramos was a bit-part player in Luis Enrique’s system, and it’s also worth noting that he scored just 45 goals in 131 matches for the record-time Ligue 1 champions.

#6 Victor Osimhen – €77.5m (Lille to Napoli, 2020)

Osimhen’s inability to stay away from the treatment table during his first two seasons in Naples threatened to derail his promising career, but he returned stronger in 2022/23.

With his injury woes finally behind him, the Nigerian striker inspired Napoli to their first Scudetto in 33 years, racking up 26 league goals as the Partenopei ended a long title drought in Serie A on the back of his superb performances.

Despite being linked with Chelsea and PSG in 2024, Osimhen joined Galatasaray in a mind-boggling loan deal before earning a permanent contract at Rams Park the following summer.

#5 Arthur Melo – €80.6m (Barcelona to Juventus, 2020)

Despite being dubbed the next big thing in the world of football upon his arrival at Barcelona, the deep-lying midfielder’s career has been on a downward spiral ever since.

It is hard to make a case for Arthur not to be classified as the worst transfer on this list, especially considering Juventus believed he could be their long-term replacement for Miralem Pjanic.

Somehow, he is still under contract with the Bianconeri.

#4 Dusan Vlahovic – €83.5m (Fiorentina to Juventus, 2022)

Vlahovic left Fiorentina in January 2022 to fulfil his childhood dream of wearing the Bianconeri shirt, joining the Turin giants for an eye-watering fee of €83.5m.

He flew out of the traps at the Allianz Stadium, averaging a goal every 182 minutes in all competitions during his first six months at the club.

However, Vlahovic’s performances gradually dropped over the next three seasons. He left Juventus in 2026 to sign for Besiktas on a Bosman deal.

#3 Matthijs de Ligt – €85.5m (Ajax to Juventus, 2019)

De Ligt’s rise to stardom at Ajax in 2018/19 had not gone unnoticed, with Juventus acting quickly to take the highly rated defender for around €85.5m.

While the Dutchman’s career in Serie A featured numerous ups and downs, it did nothing to prevent the record-time Italian champions from convincing Bayern Munich to pay €77m to take him to the Bundesliga in 2022.

#2 Gonzalo Higuain – €90m (Napoli to Juventus, 2016)

Paul Pogba’s €105m return to Manchester United in 2016 helped Juventus raise funds to finance Higuain’s €90m arrival after his record-breaking 2015/16 season at Napoli.

The Argentine never won the flattering Capocannoniere award at the Allianz Stadium but still inspired Juventus to back-to-back Serie A titles.

Higuain was unfortunate enough to live in the shadow of Ronaldo, whose move from Madrid in 2018 conclusively ended his mixed spell in Turin.

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo – €117m (Real Madrid to Juventus, 2018)

In the most sensational deal in modern Serie A history, Juventus took five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo away from La Liga in 2018.

The Portuguese superstar won the Scudetto in his maiden two seasons in Italy, but the main reason behind Juve’s decision to hire him was to guide the club back to Champions League glory.

That did not happen, however, with Ronaldo forcing his return to Man United in the summer of 2021 after being named the Serie A top goalscorer in 2020/21.