Transfer fees and goalkeepers are a strange commodity. Way back in 2001, Juventus spent an astronomical sum on Gianluigi Buffon when they paid Parma £33m for his services.
Since then, though, the men between the sticks have commanded ‘more realistic’ transfer fees, with only a select few goalkeepers moving for more than £10m.
However, with Man City’s £35m deal for Benfica stopper Ederson rumoured to be just around the bend, records could be broken!
Here’s a look at the 10 most expensive until now…
10. Fraser Forster: £10m
The Southampton shot-stopper signed from Celtic in 2014 and has been a relatively safe pair of hands between the sticks, as the Saints have enjoyed consecutive league finishes in the top half of the table.
This season there have been some questions about his form, but he still managed to put on a heroic display away at Anfield in the League Cup semi-final, as Southampton reached the final for the first time since 1979.
9. Petr Cech: £10.9m
The veteran goalkeeper was signed by Arsenal in 2015 when he moved across London from rivals Chelsea.
Cech’s transfer to the Gunners might just have been the beginning of Jose Mourinho’s downfall at Chelsea.
The then Chelsea manager was vehemently against Cech leaving for Arsenal, but it’s believed that Roman Abramovich stepped in and allowed the Czech ‘keeper to join the Gunners as a show of gratitude for the 35-year-olds’ time with the Blues.
8. Jan Oblak: £12.6m
When on-loan goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois headed back to Chelsea in 2014, Atletico fans must have feared the worst. After all, the Belgian had just helped Los Rojiblancos to the La Liga title.
Three years later and you would forgive Atleti fans for forgetting the Belgian international’s name thanks to the form Oblak has shown while at Atletico Madrid.
7. Jasper Cillessen: £12.8m
Jasper Cillessen was signed to be Marc-André ter Stegen’s understudy after Claudio Bravo moved to Manchester City last summer.
The Dutch international hasn’t had too many chances to cement his position as Barcelona’s number one, but can take some solace from the fact that he’s the Netherland’s main shot stopper.
6. Angelo Peruzzi: £15.7m
The early 2000s was an exciting time to be alive – especially if you were a goalkeeper plying your trade in Serie A.
At the time, Peruzzi’s move from Inter Milan to Parma made him the most expensive goalkeeper in the world. And even 17 years later he still sits at number six on the list.
5. Claudio Bravo: £17m
Oh Claudio, if only you could catch, save or generally touch the ball with your hands – is what you’ll hear many of the Manchester City fans saying.
It’s fair to say that it hasn’t gone as planned for the Chilean goalkeeper since his move to the Etihad last summer.
Saves have been few and far between, but that didn’t stop City from spending £17m on the 34-year-old
4. David de Gea: £18m
When Manchester United spent nearly £20m on a skinny Spanish kid from Atletico Madrid, it’s fair to say that a few eyebrows were raised.
Fast forward six years and De Gea is now arguably the best keeper in the world. He’s often seen pulling off a raft of world-class saves to keep United in games, and it’s not surprising he’s been linked with a £60m move to Real Madrid.
3. Manuel Neuer: £19m
If De Gea isn’t the best goalkeeper in the world, then Manuel Neuer takes that spot.
The German gives a new meaning to the word ‘sweeper-keeper’, and can often be seen standing so high up the pitch when Bayern are on the attack; you think that he’s an outfield player.
2. Gianluigi Buffon: £33m
You could forgive Gianluigi Buffon for being a tad upset right now. He occupied the number one position for the world’s most expensive goalkeeper for 16 years.
Still, he can console himself with a Champions League final for Juventus this weekend, so it’s not too bad.
‘Keepers often have longer playing careers than outfield players, but for Buffon to still be at the top of his game at the age of 39 is nothing short of spectacular. Worth every penny!
1. Ederson: £34.7m
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola quickly decided that Bravo wasn’t up to scratch and splashed the cash on Benfica goalkeeper Ederson – breaking the world-record fee for a shot-stopper in the process.
That being said, it hasn’t EXACTLY been officially announced at the time of writing…
Big things will be expected of the Brazilian next season, as City prepare for a Premier League and Champions League assault.
His experience of winning championships at Benfica should stand him in good stead and, if his form in the Portuguese league is anything to go by, City may have just found their long-term number one.
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