The transfer market has shown that elite goalkeepers are now valued almost as highly as star outfield players. Clubs are spending unprecedented amounts on keepers who offer outstanding reflexes, command of their penalty area and the ability to comfortably play out from the back.
At the top of the list is Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. Chelsea activated his £71.6 million release clause to sign him from Athletic Bilbao in 2018, making him the costliest goalkeeper in football history. Although the move broke records, his performances in west London were often met with mixed reactions.
Second on the list is Brazil international Alisson Becker, who completed a £67 million move from Roma to Liverpool in the same year. His arrival transformed Liverpool’s defence, and he went on to help the Reds lift the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and several other major honours.
Andre Onana occupies third place after Manchester United agreed a £43.9 million deal to bring him in from Inter Milan in 2023. French goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier follows in fourth after Paris Saint-Germain secured his signature from Lille in 2025 for £36.4 million.
Belgian international Thibaut Courtois is fifth. Real Madrid signed him from Chelsea for £35 million in 2018, and he has since become one of the club’s most dependable players, producing several match-winning performances.
Manchester City’s first-choice goalkeeper Ederson comes next. The Premier League champions paid Benfica £34.7 million for the Brazilian in 2017, and he has been central to the club’s remarkable run of domestic and European success.
Legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon sits seventh. Juventus spent £32.6 million to sign him from Parma in 2001, setting a new world record fee for a goalkeeper—a benchmark that remained untouched for nearly two decades.
Former Netherlands international Jasper Cillessen ranks eighth after leaving Barcelona for Valencia in 2019 in a deal worth £31.4 million. Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale and Everton’s Jordan Pickford share the final two places, with both goalkeepers costing £30 million when they joined their respective clubs.
Planet Football’s ranking of the highest goalkeeper transfer fees is as follows:
- Kepa Arrizabalaga – Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea (2018) – £71.6 million
- Alisson Becker – Roma to Liverpool (2018) – £67 million
- Andre Onana – Inter Milan to Manchester United (2023) – £43.9 million
- Lucas Chevalier – Lille to Paris Saint-Germain (2025) – £36.4 million
- Thibaut Courtois – Chelsea to Real Madrid (2018) – £35 million
- Ederson – Benfica to Manchester City (2017) – £34.7 million
- Gianluigi Buffon – Parma to Juventus (2001) – £32.6 million
- Jasper Cillessen – Barcelona to Valencia (2019) – £31.4 million
- Aaron Ramsdale – Sheffield United to Arsenal (2021) – £30 million
- Jordan Pickford – Sunderland to Everton (2017) – £30 million
