If PSG deal goes ahead, David Luiz’s transfer will see him cost more than Radamel Falcao, Sergio Aguero and the Brazilian Ronaldo.
Reports suggest World Cup-bound defender David Luiz is set to leave Chelsea for Paris Saint-Germain for €49.5million.
Not only would this make the Brazilian the most expensive defender of all time, leading ex-England international Rio Ferdinand’s €44.8million deal and compatriot Thiago Silva’s €42million acquisition, but it would catapult him into the Top 15 European transfers of all time.
| Rank | Name | Signed from | Signed by | GBP | EURO | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Gareth Bale | Tottenham Hotspur | Real Madrid | £78–85.3 | €91–100 | 2013 |
| 1–2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | Real Madrid | £80 | €94 | 2009 |
| 3 | Zinedine Zidane | Juventus | Real Madrid | £46 | €75 | 2001 |
| 4 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | Inter Milan | Barcelona | £59 | €69 | 2009 |
| 5 | Kaká | A.C. Milan | Real Madrid | £56 | €65 | 2009 |
| 6 | Edinson Cavani | Napoli | Paris Saint-Germain | £55 | €64 | 2013 |
| 7 | Luís Figo | Barcelona | Real Madrid | £37 | €62 | 2000 |
| 8 | Radamel Falcao | Atlético Madrid | AS Monaco | £51 | €60 | 2013 |
| 9 | Fernando Torres | Liverpool | Chelsea | £50 | €58 | 2011 |
| 10 | Neymar | Santos | Barcelona | £48.6 | €57.1 | 2013 |
| 11 | Hernán Crespo | Parma | Lazio | £35.5 | €56.5 | 2000 |
| 12 | Carlos Tevez | Manchester United | Manchester City | £47 | €53 | 2009 |
| 13 | Mesut Özil | Real Madrid | Arsenal | £42.4 | €50 | 2013 |
| 14 | David Luiz | Chelsea | PSG | £40.1 | €49.5 | 2014 |
If Luiz swaps London for Paris, the transfer fee will be higher than notable recent deals including Cesc Fabregas’s move to Barcelona (€40million), Juan Mata’s move to Manchester United (€44.8million), and Hulk’s move to Zenit St Petersburg (€45million) to name a few. It even just edges Radamel Falcao’s short stay in Madrid (€47million) and Sergio Aguero’s transfer to Manchester City (€45million) in 2011.
Just above Luiz in the chart is Arsenal signing Mesut Özil after his €50million move from Real Madrid last summer.
Is Luiz relatively worth such a staggering fee? Do his Chelsea and Brazil performances merit his ranking among the world’s best?
Not many players divide public opinion quite like Luiz. Gary Neville famously described a performance as “controlled by a 10-year-old on a Playstation,”- attempting to capture his erratic, ill-disciplined yet extraordinary style, however, he does evidently possess the talent to attract such a high profile bid.
At 27, he is potentially entering his prime. If Paris Saint-Germain can tame the Brazilian and discover his best suited position, whether it is simply centre-back or perhaps anchoring the midfield, they might unearth one of the best players of a generation.
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