Only a few clubs in world football can claim to have spent as much money as Chelsea over the last two decades.
Following the purchase of the club by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2003, the club went on to become a major power in European football, owing largely to the billions invested in the playing squad.
That high level of spending was maintained by Abramovich’s successor Todd Boehly, who spent nearly £250 million in the summer of 2022 and then £320 million in January 2023.
Here are their largest transactions, as measured in pounds at the time they were completed.
Kai Havertz – £72m
When Chelsea paid £72 million to sign Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen, he became the club’s most expensive signing at the time. At the time, the attacking midfielder was one of the most sought-after young talents in the Bundesliga.
The German has shown flashes of brilliance at Chelsea, but he has yet to fully blossom. He did provide Chelsea with their most memorable moment in recent times, however, scoring the game-winning goal against Manchester City in the 2021 Champions League final, which was also his first goal in the competition.
Wesley Fofana – £72.4m
The technically gifted player, who is still only 23, has plenty of time to justify his transfer fee. Leicester initially refused to sell their star defender, but they eventually budgeted after Chelsea paid more than £70 million for the centre-back.
Fofana’s time at Leicester came to an end after only two seasons, with the Frenchman missing a large portion of his second year due to injury.
That physical misfortune clearly did not deter Chelsea from going all in for the former Saint-Etienne man as they look to rejuvenate their defense as Thiago Silva approaches the end of his illustrious career.
With Fofana still in his early twenties, Chelsea will believe they have solved one of their centre-back problems for the next decade or so!
Mykhailo Mudryk -£89m
During the January 2023 transfer window, Mykhailo Mudryk became the second player in Chelsea history to leave for a fee of €100 million or more. Mudryk became the latest big-money signing in an incredible spending season in 2022-23.
The Ukrainian had emerged as one of Europe’s most exciting wingers in 2022, but he was expected to join Arsenal. However, Chelsea hijacked Arsenal’s deal in order to secure Mudryk on a contract until 2030.
Romelu Lukaku – £101.7m
While it may have appeared strange on paper for Chelsea to spend so much money on a player they once had on their books as a young prospect, Chelsea’s signing of Romelu Lukaku in the summer of 2021 was undeniably a statement transfer.
Lukaku returned to English football as one of the best strikers in the world and with a new point to prove after dominating Italian football with Inter for two seasons, scoring 64 goals in 95 games and helping the club win their first Serie A title in ten years.
He scored his first goal on his second debut, against Arsenal, after only 15 minutes. Lukaku’s performances deteriorated as the season progressed, and he scored only eight Premier League goals before returning to Inter on loan after only one season.
Enzo Fernandez – £107m
When Enzo Fernandez joins Chelsea in January 2023, he will break Jack Grealish’s record for the most expensive British transfer of all time. Chelsea agreed to pay Enzo’s Benfica contract release clause just six months after he joined the Portuguese club.
Enzo had a meteoric rise in 2022, and his brilliant midfield performances helped Argentina win its first World Cup in 36 years. Chelsea agreed to pay a club record fee for him as a result of this.
