Juventus most expensive signings ever

When it comes to football in Italy, there are a few clubs that represent what the sport means in the country. The sheer class in Italian football is always exciting for any football enthusiast, which is why we all feel a certain amount of respect for clubs such as AC Milan, Inter and Juventus.

While Milan and Inter were struggling to find their feet after the Calciopoli scandal that harmed most of Serie A’s top clubs in mid-2000s, Juventus quickly bounced back to become the sole reigning champions in Italian top-flight and continued their reign for nine years. While the Bianconeri have been struggling to regain their form after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, there is no denying the fact that they are still one of the best clubs in Europe and have proven that time and time again with their phenomenal displays in the Champions League.

Of course almost none of the success that the Serie A side have achieved throughout the years would have been possible if it weren’t for those on the list of

Juventus most expensive signings ever

.

As a top club in Italy, Juventus have spent hundreds of millions of Euros to sign the most talented superstars in the world, which is exactly why many of you are eager to find out more about the most expensive signings in Juventus history. So read on as we provide detailed information about these players and get to see how they have fared during their spells at the Serie A side.

Juventus most expensive transfers ever

From world-class iconic legends such as Pavel Nedved and Gianluigi Buffon, to the likes of Paulo Dybala and Matthijs de Ligt, who are currently playing for the Bianconeri, there are some quite interesting names on the list of Juventus most expensive signings ever. So without further ado, here is everything you need to know about these footballers and their respective careers.

Paulo Dybala

• Transfer fee: €40M

Paulo Dybala made the headlines for becoming one of the

most expensive Juventus signings of all time

when he joined the Serie A side from

for a massive transfer fee of €40 million back in 2015. The Argentine is one of the most talented center-forwards of his generation and has earned many praises from pundits, critics and football fans alike throughout the years. Dybala spent three seasons at Palermo and proved to be an effective and integral player for the Italian side as he helped them return to the Serie A in his second season at the club.

He made a total of 93 appearances for Palermo and managed to score 21 goals while providing 16 assists in the process. Upon earning a spot on the list of Juventus most expensive signings ever, Dybala was quick to find a place in the club’s starting-XI as he proved too lethal to handle for the opposition defense from the very beginning. The Argentina international managed to score 19 goals in his first 34 league appearances for Juventus and even managed to provide 9 assists in the process.

Dybala has been a vital part of his side’s plans since day-1 and the Bianconeri fans are still enjoying his skills and deadly shots to this day. The 28-year-old has won several trophies throughout the years with

, including 5 Scudetti, 4 Italian Cups and 3 Super Cups. The only thing lacking from his club career trophy cabinet is the Champions League trophy, which he came close to winning in 2017, but was stopeed by Real Madrid in a 4-1 thrashing in the final.

Being on the list of Juventus most expensive signings ever, Dybala can certainly help his side bounce back from their poor run of form to once again rule over the Serie A. Overall, the Argentinian has made more than 270 appearances for Juventus, scoring 108 goals and providing 51 assists in the process.

Federico Bernardeschi

• Transfer fee: €40M

Federico Bernardeschi has certainly come a long way since first joining Juventus from

for a whopping €40 million in the 2017 summer transfer window. Bernardeschi arrived with a lot of expectations as many believed he could be the solution the club needed on the right flank. After all, Bernardeschi was and still is immensely versatile and is able to be deployed almost anywhere on the pitch.

Such a versatility can both be a blessing and a curse as one simply can’t be the jack of all trades without being considered as the master of none. The Italian winger carried on his shoulders the pressure of being on the list of

Juventus most expensive signings ever

, which double the amount of stress he was experiencing during his first season at the club. Juventus usually follow the same transfer policy as

, with both clubs tending to sign the best players of their league rivals to keep their distance from them in domestic competitions.

That is one of the main reasons why Bernardeschi was brought in from Fiorentina in the first place. Prior to his move to Juventus, the Italy international made a total of 93 appearances for Fiorentina and managed to score 23 goals while providing 14 assists in the process. These stats were more than enough to convince Juventus to splash the cash in 2017.

Even though Bernardeschi was on the list of Juventus most expensive transfers ever with his massive transfer fee, he did not get to become an integral part of his side and has since struggled to find a spot amongst the club’s starting-XI. He has mostly played as a late substitute and has racked up 10 goals and 23 assists in 165 games throughout the years. The 27-year-old winger’s current market value stands at around €15 million and all the excitement and buzz surrounding his move to Juventus is long gone.

Douglas Costa

• Transfer fee: €40M

Next on the list of

Juventus most expensive signings ever

is Douglas Costa, who joined the Serie A side from Bayern Munich for €40 million in the summer of 2018 after impressing the club with his performance during his loan spell at Juventus. Costa initially joined Bayern Munich from Shakhtar Donetsk for €30 million in the summer of 2015 and managed to earn a place in the club’s main XI from the very first season.

However, the winger was shunned away after only two seasons with the Bavarians as he was sent out on loan to Juventus in 2017. Upon his arrival at the Allianz Stadium, Costa earned an integral role as both a starter and a super-sub from time to time, which added to his usefulness at his new club. The Brazilian managed to do well with the chances that he got during his stay with the Bianconeri, which is why they decided to make his move permanent the very next season.

Not everything went according to plan, however, as Costa was deployed less and less with each passing month. Even though he was and still is one of the most expensive Juventus signings of all time, the Brazil international was simply not good enough for the Bianconeri as they made little use of his abilities on the wing. Costa later returned to Bayern Munich on loan for a single season in 2020 and is now spending his time playing for Gremio, whom he joined on loan in the summer transfer window. 

Joao Cancelo

• Transfer fee: €40M

It seems that Juventus have a habit of spending on a limited budget, despite being one of the top clubs in Europe. Almost half of those amongst the

most expensive signings in Juventus history

have arrived at the club for exactly €40 million. From Paulo Dybala to Douglas Costa and Joao Cancelo, all have cost the Bianconeri €40 million respectively, even though each of these players have seen different outcomes in their careers so far.

While Dybala is still shining at Juventus and Costa is playing in Brazil, Joao Cancelo has turned himself into one of the best right-backs of his generation. Too bad he does not play for Juve anymore as he is now a part of Pep Guardiola’s

. The Portugal international began his professional career at

after rising up the ranks at the club’s youth academy. He quickly joined Valencia after spending a single season on loan at the Spanish club.

It took Cancelo three seasons to finally earn his big-money move, in which he joined Juventus for a whopping €40 million and earned a spot on the list of Juventus most expensive signings ever. The right-back was considered to be one of the most talented defenders at the time and he had attracted quite a lot of attention in a matter of months.

The incredibly versatile right-back got to make a total of 34 appearances for Juventus in the single season that he spent with the Serie A side. He quickly joined Manchester City for a massive fee of €65 million, only a season after joining Juventus. That would mean that not only is the 27-year-old one of Juventus most expensive signings ever, but he is also the most expensive right-back in the world with his eye-watering transfer fee.

Pavel Nedved

• Transfer fee: €40M

You simply can’t talk about the greatest midfielders of all time without mentioning Pavel Nedved. The likes of Nedved rarely come to pass as they are truly one of a kind. The Czech Republic midfielder was already a world-class footballer at

when Juventus decided to acquire his services for a whopping fee of €45 million. While such a figure is spent on inexperienced youngsters nowadays, it was considered to be one of the most expensive transfer fees any club in the world had paid at that time.

Nedved initially joined Lazio from Sparta Prague for €4 million way back in 1996 and later switched clubs to join Juventus in 2001. This figure was more than enough to cement Nedved’s place on the list of

Juventus most expensive transfers ever

for two decades. The Czech footballer used his immense versatility to add to the magic of the Bianconeri as he went on to win the 2003 Ballon d’Or award for his quite outstanding performances for the Serie A side.

He made a total of 327 appearances for the Bianconeri in the process of eight years and managed to score 65 goals while providing 59 assists across all competitions. The only thing that Nedved failed to win during his days at Juventus was the Champions League. Yet, as the player who was once Juventus’ most expensive signing, the 49-year-old will always be remembered as one of the greatest footballers of all time in the footballing halls of fame.

Gianluigi Buffon

• Transfer fee: €52M

Paying a massive fee of €52 million for a goalkeeper is absurd enough these days, let alone when Juventus paid such a hefty fee to sign Gianluigi Buffon from AC Parma in the 2001-02 season. Few players can represent Juventus as greatly as Gigi Buffon. Just like how

have Iker Casillas and how Bayern Munich have Manuel Neuer, Juventus had Gigi Buffon for more than two decades as he was and still is the main idol for many of the club’s supporters. The sheer class and sophistication behind Buffon’s personality and style of play made many of us fall in love with football as we gained a special kind of respect for all goalkeepers.

As an original Parma youth academy product, Buffon earned a spot on the list of Juventus most expensive signings ever by joining the club for such a hefty fee and began his journey towards becoming a Bianconeri legend from the very moment he graced the pitch at the Juventus Stadium. The former Italy international aged like fine wine as his performances improved with the passage of time. He went on to make a total of 685 appearances for Juventus and kept a massive 322 clean sheets in the process, which is an absolutely mind-blowing record for any goalkeeper.

Having won the 2006 World Cup with Italy against Zinedine Zidane’s France, the only trophy lacking from Buffon’s cabinet is obviously the Champions League title, which he even tried to win by joining

for a short spell. He joined the Parisians for a single season on a free transfer deal in 2018 and returned to Juventus on yet another free transfer deal in 2019.

However, all good things must come to an end one day and that day was the first of July 2021. Buffon finally returned to his boyhood club Parma to spend the rest of his illustrious career as the club’s main goalkeeper and mentor. The 43-year-old is still a fine goalkeeper and will never be forgotten by the football society. A long time will have to pass to finally get Buffon out of the list of Juventus most expensive signings ever.

Arthur

• Transfer fee: €75M

The eye-watering amount of €75 million is the next item on the list of Juventus highest transfer fee paid ever, which belongs to none other than former

midfielder Arthur. The Brazilian joined Juventus in a deal that saw Miralem Pjanic go in the other direction to join the Blaugrana. Before joining the Serie A side in 2020, Arthur was considered to be one of Barcelona’s future stars as he had the potential to become a world-class midfielder since joining the Spanish giants from Gremio for €31 million in 2018.

However, things went sideways pretty quickly as Ronaldo Koeman saw it fit to send the young talent away after only two seasons at the club. Even though his first season at Juventus was not too bad and he had many chances to prove himself at his new club, Arthur has since been sidelined and is rarely used in either the league or in European competitions. The 25-year-old is still considered to be a talented midfielder with great qualities, yet it seems that he will not be getting his chances any time soon.

Arthur has made a total of 41 appearances for Juventus since joining the club in 2020 and has not managed to live up to the billing in any way. We will have to wait and see if the former Barcelona man can finally turn the tides in his favor and prove that he is worth being one of the most expensive arrivals in his club’s history.

Matthijs de Ligt

• Transfer fee: €85M

With the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Eder Militao and Ruben Dias currently playing for world-class clubs in Europe, the future of football seems to be in good hands as incredible defensive talents have appeared in recent seasons. Matthijs de Ligt rose to prominence for his outstanding performance at

, who had built a team of fighters with incredibly exciting talents, most of whom joined other top clubs in the continent such as Manchester United and Barcelona.

The Netherlands international has managed to cement his status as one of the best center-backs of his generation at the age of 22 years old and we can clearly see that he has the potential to be one of the greatest defenders in the world. De Ligt joined the Bianconeri from Ajax for €85 million back in 2019 and has since turned into one of the club’s most vital parts at the back.

The Dutchman’s massive transfer fee is obviously on the list of

Juventus highest transfer fee paid ever

and he himself is on the verge of being considered a club icon in the coming seasons. De Ligt is close to reaching his 100-game milestone at Juventus as he has already made more than 90 appearances for the Serie A side. He is without a doubt the main center-back at the club and the future holds great things for the young defender, even though Juventus have been struggling in the league since last season.

Of course the former Ajax defender is currently linked with other big clubs in Europe as well, including Chelsea, who seem to be willing to pay top money to acquire the Netherlands international over the summer of 2022.

Gonzalo Higuain

• Transfer fee: €90M

Gonzalo Higuain surprised everyone when he suddenly turned into an even more lethal and prolific goal scorer at

after leaving Real Madrid in 2013. Higuain joined Napoli from Los Blancos for €39 million and turned into the top goal scorer in Serie A in a matter of seasons. That is why many clubs were after his signature in the mid-2010s.

In the end, however, it was Juventus who in the end got their hands on the outstanding center-forward by paying a whopping €90 million to acquire his services in the summer of 2016. The striker’s first season at Juventus was truly phenomenal as he got to score 24 goals in 38 league appearances, which handed Juve the league title without any hesitation. Higuain’s second season at the club was also incredible, even though it did not reach the level of his first season.

While the Argentine goal-scorer was enjoying his time at Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at the club to ruin his day by easily overshadowing everything that he had ever achieved. Ronaldo’s arrival at Juventus forced the club to send one of their most expensive signings ever out on loan to AC Milan, where Higuain simply let go of his top form to gradually become an ineffective striker. After a couple of unsuccessful loan spells at Milan and Chelsea, Higuain decided to join Inter Miami on a free transfer deal in 2020 and leave European football behind.

Cristiano Ronaldo

• Transfer fee: €117M

Next on the list of Juventus highest transfer fee paid ever, is Cristiano Ronaldo’s eye-watering €117 million transfer fee, which Juve paid to sign the Portugal international from Real Madrid in 2018. Ronaldo was the sole reason behind Higuain’s departure from Juventus as he was and still is the ultimate player to sign for any football club.

Cristiano’s spell in Serie A might not have been as great as it was back in La Liga, but the Portuguese striker managed to break numerous records during this period as he went on to score an incredible 101 goals in 135 appearances for the Bianconeri. He won two league titles with Juve and added the Italian Cup and two Italian Super Cups to his CV in the couple of seasons that he spent in Italy, before finally returning to Manchester United in the summer of 2021 after Juventus failed to win the league title last season.

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