How much is too much? Liverpool owner John W Henry would have crossed that question to the Spirit in recent months, not least when he punished a big movement for the money for Florian Wirtz during a personal meeting in Boston.
The Anfield club is close to taking off the Summer transfer coup after beating Bayern Munich and Manchester City for the signing of the German superstar.
After reports have shown that the 22-year-old had chosen to become a member of the Premier League champions, the only thing left to agree with Bayer Leverkusen for the playmaker was.
Weeks of Negotiation finally yielded an agreement. A basis of £ 100 million, that could rise to £ 116 million, depending on bonuses, including winning the Premier League and Champions League.
The transfer, which could be completed next week after a medical, will be Wirtz the 10th player in world football that costs £ 100 million or more. And it is fair to say that many of his predecessors have not done particularly well.
There are nine other stars to pick up nine figures – but not all of them for their money.
Neymar – Barcelona to PSG, £ 200 million
The move from the Brazilian 2017 to Paris ended one period in the history of football and marked the start of another. However, when the Monied Ligue 1 club paid more than double the then record of £ 89 million compensation Manchester United to sign Paul Pogba, they would have hoped for more trophies, well, in particular one.
It is more than a bit ironic and well discussed that PSG has finally achieved their ultimate goal to win the Champions League after he was taken from global superstars like Neymar.
But even though he has never won the largest prize in Europe in Paris, it is unfair to characterize his time in France as a complete failure. Neymar was a phenomenon in Paris, where 118 goals and 79 assists were achieved in 173 games before the side.
His biggest problem was injury. Ligue 1 defenders had little appetite for his daring tricks and films, which were often met with failed or outright malignant tackles. The result was that Neymar missed the determining part of the season for a few years on the leap.
Add his love for parties and his steadfast dedication to his sister's birthday and you have a bad deal. The only saving grace for PSG is that they managed to suppress Al-Hilal to sign him for £ 78 million in 2023, which turned out to be the worst transfer of all time.
Kylian Mbappe – Monaco to PSG, £ 163m
Even PSG could not sign the finances to sign Neymar and Mbappe in the same summer, so the Frenchman was initially introduced in 2017 in a season loan before he had completed a transfer of £ 163 million the following year.
The fact that his compensation is rarely discussed seven years shows the promise of his surprising campaign in Monaco. But it should not be obvious how ridiculous it was for the Parisians to go so big on a player who is so young with little experience in the first team.
But PSG was well proven, with Mbappe being the face of the club, French football and one of the world stars of the sport. His record of 256 goals makes him the top scorer of the club of all time, while his 108 assists means that he has registered 364 targets for 308 games.
With such figures it is difficult to label his time in the French capital as something other than a success, even with its tumultuous exit and the failure to win the Champions League.
Philippe Coutinho – Liverpool to Barcelona, £ 105 million
Fans of Liverpool would despise Coutinho if they did not greatly appreciate his sale to Barcelona for the recent history history. It is not an exaggeration to say that without the exit of Coutinho, no Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and perhaps not a Premier League and Champions League trophy would be.
Of course Barca was only able to punish a deal – and to be ripe for exploitation – because Neymar was torn away by PSG. So in that sense, Liverpool was the greatest beneficiaries about the greatest transfer in history.
Although PSG fans will probably have some memories of their time with Neymar, it is unlikely that the Barcelona believers have warm feelings towards the Brazilian, who never settled in Catalunya.
To be honest, Coutinho's first half season after his move in January 2018 suggested that he might prove to be a solid addition, but his production dried up in the subsequent seasons, which led to a loan period with Bayern Munich in 2019-2020, where he scored a brace club.
Joao Felix – Benfica to Atletico Madrid, £ 113m
Atletico took a magazine from PSG's playbook and took a point on an exciting attacker after an impressive campaign inland and in Europe. But unfortunately for the LaLiga side, they bet on the wrong horse.
Felix is without a doubt one of the most frustrating talents in the highest football today, given his unwanted combination of enormous talent and regular no-shows.
Six years after the transfer to the side of Diego Simeone, Felix has to find another home among the European elite despite spending time with a large number of top clubs. Chelsea took a chance for a loan movement in 2023, after he fell with Simeone, but did not feel like signing him permanently and he made a temporary switch to Barcelona.
Strangely enough, the blues came back for the attacking midfielder in 2024, but quickly shipped him to AC Milan on loan, but they too are not impressed by what they have seen.
Still at 25, Felix has to act quickly to maintain his career at the highest level. The reimbursement that Atletico has paid to sign him seems to have done more harm than good.
Enzo Fernandez – Benfica to Chelsea, £ 107m
Fleecing European elite for highly valued talent is a practice that Benfica has elevated to an art form and their work in the late years 2010 and early 2020s was some of the best ever witness.
Six months after signing the midfielder of River Plate for around £ 15 million, the Portuguese giants corresponded to a sale of £ 107 million for the young person after his impressive world cup.
The 24-year-old has had a good impact on Stamford Bridge and has produced several big moments for the club, but at this stage it is hard to say that he has observed the astronomical compensation to acquire him.
However, there is still enough time to fulfill that promise, especially with Chelsea who returns to the Champions League this season.
Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid to Barcelona, £ 107m
Another disastrous Post-Heermar Transfer for the Catalan club saw the French star running through the doors in 2019 in the Nou camp. Griezmann settled as one of the best players in the world during his five -year stay in the Spanish capital, but he was unable to leave his mark in Barca.
His assignment was not helped by the financial mess that started to flood the club after their terrible response to the departure of Neymar or the poor fit next to Lionel Messi.
Griezmann knew only 35 goals and 17 assists in 102 performances for the LaLiga Giants before he returned to Atletico on loan before a permanent switch in 2022 for only £ 17 million.
As transfers go, they don't get much worse than that.
Jack Grealisk – Aston Villa to Manchester City, £ 100 million
The first £ 100 million Premier League player, Jack Grealiskh finally got his chance with a Big-Six Club in 2023 after he had torn it for several seasons with his youth side Aston Villa.
Grealish has changed a lot in Manchester. He still shows the enchanting dribbling power that made him loved by fans throughout the country and the creepy talent of winning free kicks that hated him paradoxically. But his production has never been an elite, nor does he seem to have improved in a meaningful way.
His debut campaign was certainly his best, scored five and the provision of seven assists of 23 Premier League-Start when he played a crucial role in the historic Treble-winning campaign on the side.
But the figures have only gone in one direction since then, with the highlight being the period when he achieved a lonely goal and could help 20 league games.
Grealisk will leave the club this summer after he is essentially frozen by Pep Guardiola, an unused replacement in the FA Cup final and omitted from the City's Club World Cup team.
I think it is fair to say that this signing never really succeeded.
Declan Rice – West Ham to Arsenal, £ 105 million
“Declan Rice, we have him half the prize,” the Arsenal -believers sing as recognition for the highest talent they have acquired in the summer of 2023 of their London -rival West Ham.
Rice has one of the strongest cases on this list to be considered a success. However, you are the feeling that large trophies are needed to establish his signing firmly as such.
On an individual level, Rice has been excellent for the North London club and comes from his most impressive season for the men of Mikel Arteta. His striking contribution was a few breathtaking free kicks in the win of the Champions League of the Gunners' Champions League on the first leg on Real Madrid.
If he is part of the Arsenal team that puts an end to the long wait of the club for a league title or their very first European Cup ever, many who prefer Emirates Chant.
Moises Caicedo – Brighton to Chelsea, £ 115 million
Two years after their failed attempt to sign Caicedo and break the British transfer record, look Liverpool to write history with Wirtz. But in 2023 they were left with egg on their faces after a poorly advised late swoop for the Ecuador International.
Brighton could not believe their happiness when the Reds bidding into the defensive midfielder after they had not reached no agreement with Chelsea. After he had accepted Liverpool's offer, Caicedo insisted that he would move to Stamford Bridge, releasing the road for the fee of £ 115 million.
Caicedo made a slow start of life in Chelsea Blue in the midst of a rocky first half of the season for the club, but he started showing the form that made him highly sought after at the Amex.
In his previous term, the player of the club's season saw him win and he is well on his way to let everyone forget the amount that brings him to West -London.