Manchester City have become the dominant force in the Premier League in recent years, as the Citizens have won four of the last five English top-flight titles. The men from Manchester have certainly been helped by the significant financial support offered by the club’s owners Sheikh Mansour, who bought the club in 2008, as they have been able to splash the cash on quality players.
With that in mind, here are City’s ten most expensive signings in their history:
Jack Grealish (Bought from Aston Villa for £100m)
The England international became the club’s most expensive signing in the summer of 2021 when he joined from Aston Villa. The move had been on the cards since the previous summer. Grealish pushed up his fee slightly by producing the third most assists in the Premier League in season 2020/21.
In his debut campaign for City, the winger produced underwhelming numbers, scoring just three Premier League goals and producing the same number of assists. He also started just 22 league matches, which was almost inevitable considering City head coach Pep Guardiola’s liking of squad rotation.
Kevin De Bruyne (Bought from Wolfsburg for £68.4m)
When Kevin De Bruyne returned to English football with Manchester City in 2015 from Wolfsburg, some questioned the high fee. The Belgium international had struggled to make an impact earlier in his career at Chelsea before joining the Wolves.
However, De Bruyne had honed his skills in Germany. His Manchester City career has been a resounding success. The former Chelsea player has contributed to over 170 goals in his Manchester City career. He will go down as one of City’s greatest ever players, having played a vital role in the Citizens’ most glorious period.
Ruben Dias (Bought from Benfica for £61m)
The Portuguese international arrived at City from Benfica in 2020. The centre-back had built himself a considerable reputation in his homeland, as well as with players of the popular football management simulator Football Manager.
Despite concerns about a relative lack of pace and City’s high defensive line, Dias has become the cornerstone of Guardiola’s team. Dias even went on to win the FWA Player of the Year award in his debut campaign with City, as his team won the title and reclaimed the trophy a season later.
Riyad Mahrez (Bought from Leicester for £61m)
The skilful Algerian winger arrived in Manchester in 2018, having helped Leicester to win the Premier League title in 2016. The Foxes were always going to demand a hefty fee, but Mahrez has arguably paid back his fee in goals and assists.
Since joining City, Mahrez has scored 63 goals and produced a further 46 assists in 198 appearances. Those are highly respectable numbers, especially as not all of those appearances were from the start of games.
Joao Cancelo (Bought from Juventus for £58.5m)
The Portuguese full-back arrived from Juventus in 2019 in a deal that saw Brazilian full-back Danilo head in the other direction. There is no doubt that City got the better deal, as Cancelo has been one of the standout performers for City since his arrival.
Cancelo really came into his own in his second season with the club, playing as a full-back on either flank, he uses his technical and positional sense to move into central midfield to give the Citizens an extra man in the centre of the park.
Aymeric Laporte (Bought from Athletic Club for £58.5m)
The French-born, Spanish international joined City in 2018, having shined for his boyhood club Athletic Club. His steady performances have aided City in their pursuit of trophies. In fact, an injury sustained in his second campaign with the Citizens played a party in the title, slipping away from Guardiola’s men, with Liverpool winning the title.
Despite competition for a place in the heart of the City defence from some other quality defenders, Laporte is still considered a vital part of Guardiola’s squad.
Raheem Sterling (Bought from Liverpool for £57m)
Manchester City laid out £57m to sign the talented England winger in 2015. Sterling has undoubtedly proven his worth over the years after initially struggling for attacking contributions in his debut campaign with the Citizens.
Guardiola helped improve Sterling’s all-around game, with finishing a particular focus. The work paid off handsomely, as the forward scored 131 goals and also produced 96 assists in his 339 appearances for City.
Sterling left City in the summer of 2022, joining Chelsea as he sought a fresh challenge. He will forever be regarded as an important player in Pep Guardiola’s trophy-laden spell with City.
Rodri (Bought from Atletico Madrid for £56m)
The Spanish defensive midfielder arrived as the long-term replacement for ageing club stalwart Fernandinho in 2019. After an underwhelming debut campaign, Rodri adapted to the English game and helped City claim the English top-flight title in season 2019/20.
Rodri has grown into one of the best defensive midfielders in the world game. With a pass accuracy rate of 90 per cent, you can see why the former Atletico player has earned comparisons to Barcelona great Sergio Busquets.
Benjamin Mendy (Bought from Monaco for £52m)
The full-back arrived at Manchester City in 2019 after helping Monaco to the Ligue One title ahead of big-spending PSG. Mendy established himself as an exciting young talent in the principality and seemed like the perfect player to fill the left-back position at City, which at the time was arguably a problem position for Guardiola’s team.
Mendy made a promising start to his City career with some encouraging performances. However, his early Citizens career was blighted by injury problems. He is reported to have missed 120 games through injury since he joined the men from Manchester.
The Frenchman has flopped at City. To make matters worse, he is currently facing off-the-field legal issues, which are likely to mean the end of his rather underwhelming City career.
Erling Haaland (Bought from Dortmund for £52m)
The Norwegian international arrived at City in the summer of 2022 from Dortmund. At £52m, the striker could be a bargain for a player considered one of the best in his position, despite his tender years.
Haaland has scored goals wherever he went. During his BVB career, he scored 86 goals in just 89 appearances for the German outfit while also producing 23 assists. His move to City has taken him to the next level.
The Norwegian international has made a blistering start to his City career. He could well prove to be the missing piece of the Champions League-winning jigsaw for the Citizens.