With Declan Rice set to move to the Emirate stadium, he will be the star purchase for Arsenal during the summer 2023 transfer window.
And Rice may just become the Gunners’ most expensive signing ever. As the second-largest acquisition by a Premier League team, he would surpass Jack Grealish to hold the record for British transfers.
Rice is expected to be at the top of the list, as 5Times examines Arsenal’s most costly signings ever.
Top 10 most costly transfers: Arsenal’s record signings
- Nicolas Pepe, who joined Arsenal from Lille in 2019 for a cost of £72 million, is still the club’s most expensive purchase to date.
- Four of Mikel Arteta’s signings for the North London team have cracked the top 10 list of Arsenal’s most costly moves since he took over as manager. Ben White is one of the two defenders in the rankings, while Gabriel Jesus climbed up to position five last summer.
- By bringing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on board as his last signing, former legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger smashed Arsenal’s transfer record. The Gabonese attacker joined the Gunners from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018 for £55.1 million. Now ahead of Aubameyang in second position is Kai Havertz, who relocated from Chelsea to Arsenal this week.
| Player | Came to Arsenal from | Date joined Arsenal | Transfer cost |
| Nicolas Pepe | Lille – France | August 2019 | £72 million |
| Kai Havertz | Chelsea – England | June 2023 | £65 million |
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Borussia Dortmund – Germany | January 2018 | £55.1 million |
| Ben White | Brighton Hove & Albion – England | July 2021 | £50.6 million |
| Alexandre Lacazette | Lyon – France | July 2017 | £45.8 million |
| Gabriel Jesus | Man City – England | July 2022 | £45.1 million |
| Thomas Partey | Atletico Madrid | October 2020 | £43.2 million |
| Mesut Ozil | Real Madrid – Spain | September 2013 | £40.6 million |
| Granit Xhaka | Borussia Monchengladbach – Germany | May 2016 | £38.9 million |
| Alexis Sanchrz | Barcelona – Spain | July 2014 | £36.8 million |
Who Is Arsenal’s Most Famous Signing?
During Unai Emery’s second season as the Gunners’ manager, he was under a lot of pressure. The Gunners broke their transfer record by purchasing Nicolas Pepe after falling to Chelsea in the Europa League final.
According to rumours, Emery wanted to acquire Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace, but the team ultimately chose to sign Pepe. The price Arsenal were persuaded to pay for him was £72 million, surpassing the then-record sum spent for Aubameyang. Leandro Trossard, who joined Arsenal in January 2023, now wears the No. 19 jersey that was originally handed to Pepe. Pepe, who spent last season’s loan season at Nice, is expected to leave this summer.
His biggest performance for Arsenal came when he assisted Aubameyang in the 2020 FA Cup final and scored two free kicks in one match against Vitoria de Guimaraes in the Europa League.
