Manchester City‘s history changed in 2008 when Mansour bin Zayed bought the club. Arab sheik paid £150 million to the former owner to buy City, and The Citizens became one of the most powerful teams in the world.
Since then, Mansour bin Zayed has invested more than $1 billion insigning players. As one of the most powerful clubs, Manchester City can hire the best coaches and sign the best soccer players in the world.
Manchester City are often criticized for the amount of money it spends on signings, and the answer ofPep Guardiola to that is: “To win a lot of titles you have to have top players, and top players cost money. That’s my reflexion”. But which were the most expensive signings in Manchester City’s history?
Manchester City’s 10 most expensive signings of all time
For the 10 most expensive transfers in its history, Manchester City paid 685,700,000 euros. Four are defenders, three are midfielders and three are forwards. Only two of those 10 players were not signed by Guardiola.
10. Mendy
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In 2017, Manchester City paid €57,500,000 to Monaco to acquire Benjamin Mendy. The Frenchman played 75 games for the Citizens until extra-sporting problems kept him away from the field.
9. Haaland
Erling Haaland / Alex Gottschalk/vi/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Erling Haaland was signed by Manchester City and will join the squad at the end of the season. The 23-year-old Norwegian is one of the best strikers in the world. The English team paid Borussia Dortmund 60,000,000 euros for him.
8. Rodri
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In 2019 Rodri left Atletico Madrid to join Manchester City in exchange for €62,700,000. The Spaniard is a key player for Guardiola. Since his arrival at City, he has played 148 games, and this season he has played 42 matches.
7. Sterling
Raheem Sterling / Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images
Manuel Pellegrini was the Citizen’s manager when Raheem Sterling joined the club. In 2015 Manchester City paid €63,700,000 to Liverpool for him, and since then, he has played 337 games and scored 130 goals.
6. Laporte
Aymeric Laporte / Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Manchester City bought Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Club for €65,000,000 in 2018. The Centre-Back is usually a starter and has shown a high level since he has been at the club.
5. Cancelo
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João Cancelo joined Manchester City in 2019 from Juventus in exchange for €65,000,000. “At the beginning it was difficult, we didn’t agree on many things. Partly because of my mistakes, but everyone knows how important he was in this season and how important he has been in the last two or three. He is an incredible person; I am delighted that he is happy here and that he can play for years to come. He can play in many positions”, Guardiola said about Cancelo.
4. Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez / Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
In 2018 Manchester City signed Riyad Mahrez from Leicester for €67,8000,000. The right winger is a very talented player with a great 1vs1.
3. Dias
Ruben Dias / Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
In 2020 Manchester City paid €68,000,000 to Benfica to acquire Ruben Dias. “In the morning he works every day in the gym and eats perfectly. He lives this profession 24 hours a day. He’s a guy who can play every three days and recover immediately. Having a player like this just shows how important he is to the team”, Guardiola acknowledged.
2. De Bruyne
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Kevin De Bruyne joined Manchester City in 2015. The Belgian was requested by Pellegrini, who was coach at the time, and the English club paid Wolfsburg 76,000,000 euros for him. However, in 2016 Guardiola was hired as Manchester City’s new manager, and since then, De Bruyne became a key player for him. “He is the best in the world at his position”, the Spanish coach said. Since his arrival at Manchester City, the Attacking Millfield has played 304 games and scored 82 goals.
1. Grealish
Jack Grealish / Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Jack Grealish joined Manchester City in 2021. The English player had been one of the Premier League’s top players, and City paid Aston Villa 117,500,000 euros for him. However, the 26-year-old’s performance is still not the best, and since his arrival at the club, he has played 37 games and scored five goals.
