20 Most Valuable Squads in Football Today

The world’s most valuable squads in football have been updated with six Premier League teams, including Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, ranking inside the top 10 teams.

England’s top-flight division is arguably seen as the best league in the world; therefore, it’s no surprise to see so many gifted individuals make the switch to the Premier League to further develop their careers. There are many world-class stars who ply their trade in the country, including Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias and Phil Foden – and that’s just from Pep Guardiola’s City.

Unsurprisingly, the Manchester giants feature high up in Transfermarkt’s most valuable squads. Following the signing of Kylian Mbappe in the summer, Real Madrid find themselves in the top five, while Aston Villa and Newcastle also make the list.

20 West Ham

Squad value – £407.9 million

Kicking off the top 20 with a new entrant to the list, West Ham United find themselves among Europe’s most valuable squads, overtaking Spanish side Real Sociedad who previously held the final spot before the most recent update. The Hammers have gone from relegation candidates to European contenders in recent years.

The Irons have reinvested plenty in their squad, with the additions of Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman offering more depth to the back-line. Meanwhile, the likes of Niclas Fullkrug and Crysencio Summerville have given new manager Julen Lopetegui more firepower at the other end of the pitch.

19 RB Leipzig

Squad value – £433.5 million

Despite losing key players Dani Olmo and Mohamed Simakan to Barcelona and Al-Nassr this summer, the Bundesliga giants somehow find themselves in the top 20. Following those departures, RB Leipzig used the funds to sign the likes of Lutsharel Geertruida, Antonio Nusa and young prodigy Assan Ouedraogo. This has only added to their squad value, which is just short of the £430 million mark.

Add those names to the squad that already contained the likes of Peter Gulacsi, Xavi Simons (who also returned on loan) and Benjamin Sesko following his contract renewal, it’s no surprise to see that the German side are one of three clubs from the country that feature in the top 20.

18 Atletico Madrid

Squad value – £446.6 million

It may come as a little bit of a shock to find Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid so low on this list, especially given that the Spanish giants were among the biggest spenders this summer. The deal to bring Julian Alvarez to the club was the largest since the one that saw Joao Felix come through the door, while there was also the arrival of Conor Gallagher for big money too.

For this to happen though, there had to be some major departures too. Had it not been for the departures of the aforementioned Felix and the likes of Alvaro Morata and Samu Omordion, Los Colchoneros may have ranked even slightly higher.

17 Brighton & Hove Albion

Squad value – £432.4 million

The Seagulls entered a new regime this summer as Roberto de Zerbi was replaced by the youngest manager in Premier League history, Fabian Hurzeler. While many of the key figures at the club still remain, the new head coach has been well backed in the transfer market, leading to his side maintaining their status on this list.

South Coast outfit used the money wisely in the window, signing the likes of Yankuba Minteh, Mats Wieffer and Georginio Rutter for a club record fee. A lot of Brighton’s current crop, including Evan Ferguson, Jack Hinshelwood and Simon Adingra are young stars who will no doubt be sold for a fortune to a bigger club in the future – given their potential.

16 Juventus

Squad Value – £485.1 million

Juventus have had a tumultuous couple of years, recovering from a 10-point deduction in 2023 because of the club’s transfer dealings. Despite interest from top teams in Europe for striker Dusan Vlahovic, the club managed to keep hold of the Serbian – for the time being at least.

While stars such as Federico Chiesa have left the club as they look to make as much money as possible on players whose contracts are set to expire soon, the arrivals of Teun Koopmeiners and Douglas Luiz have helped the former dominant force in Serie A build a squad worth just shy of half a billion pounds.

15 Aston Villa

Squad value – £502.7 million

It was a season to remember for Unai Emery’s men as Aston Villa returned to the pantheon of European football thanks to their qualification into the Champions League. The additions of Moussa Diaby, Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres all not only helped the club on the pitch, but it saw them shoot up towards the top ten in value this time last season.

Now, the Villains have dropped back down ever so slightly to 15th. Considering that means that there are seven other Premier League clubs more valuable than them, it speaks volumes of the job that Emery has done getting Villa into the position they currently find themselves in.

14 AC Milan

Squad value – £506.9 million

Following a disappointing end to the 2022/23 season, AC Milan would have been hoping to bounce back during the 2023/24 campaign. The seven -time European champions would have been confident of their title chances, but ended up finishing 19 points behind eventual winners and arch-rivals Inter, albeit improving their position with a runners-up spot.

To push the Rossoneri closer to the Scudetto, investment in the likes of Youssouf Fofana, Strahinja Pavlovic and Alvaro Morata has seen their squad value rise to just over £500 million. Whether this will be enough for them to wrestle back the title of Italian Champions remains to be seen.

13 Bayer Leverkusen

Squad value – £529.3 million

If non-football fans were shown Bayer Leverkusen’s form throughout the 2023/24 season, they couldn’t be blamed for assuming that they must house the most expensive squad in the sport in order to produce a team that could lose just one match in an entire season. Yet, Xabi Alonso’s excellence has meant that the Bundesliga champions have been able to manage such a feat while not even being inside the top 10.

It is for this reason why Alonso is one of the front-runners for the Coach of the Year award, and he has done a fine job in keeping many of the talented stars he has at his disposal to attempt another charge at the German title.

12 Newcastle United

Squad value – £549.6 million

Despite finishing in the top four in 2023 and being continuously backed financially, the Magpies don’t finish in the top half of these rankings. Sandro Tonali is only the sixth most valuable player at the club, with the likes of Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes both worth more than the young Italian.

Yet despite that, the squad does not even combine to crack the top five in their league, let alone the rest of Europe. Their value could continue to decrease over time too, with Newcastle having to sell in order to continue complying with financial fair play regulations. While they’re eager to keep hold of their talents beyond the summer, their hands may be forced in order to adhere to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules, which has already seen them lose the likes of Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh.

11 Inter Milan

Squad value – £567.9 million

Last season was a success overall for Inter, with them completing a dominant Serie A season on top. The Scudetto would’ve made up for the disappointment fans suffered following the 2023 Champions League final heartache.

Despite losing some key names over the years, the Italian giants maintain a strong position of wealth. Their captain, Lautaro Martinez, is of particular importance as the World Cup winner is the 14th most valuable player in the world – with a value of £92.7 million.

As well as Martinez, Inter have Marcus Thuram, Nicolo Barella, Alessandro Bastoni and Hakan Calhanoglu who all contribute significantly to the club’s overall value.

10 Tottenham Hotspur

Squad value – £648 million

Despite losing Harry Kane to Bayern Munich last summer, Tottenham find themselves in a healthy position financially and appear to have invested smartly. The north London outfit have solidified their place as the sixth most valuable squad in England and the feel good factor has seemingly returned under Ange Postecoglou.

There has been a slight dip from Spurs in the rankings this year though, largely due to the type of transfer business they have conducted more recently. With the exception of one or two, many of their incomings are young prospects who may have potential, but as yet don’t carry the biggest value. As such, the Lilywhites have dropped a position down to tenth.

9 Manchester United

Squad value – £723.1 million

Despite an awful campaign last time out, an effective first transfer window under the INEOS-led football operations team has seen Manchester United’s squad value dramatically increase by almost £100 million. The arrivals of the likes of Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Manuel Ugarte have no doubt helped dramatically, as has the rise of some of the club’s most talented youngsters.

Kobbie Mainoo’s rapid rise to stardom at Old Trafford has resulted in his market value skyrocketing to almost £50 million. The Englishman is one of the best young players plying his trade in English football’s top flight. After making his international debut this year, should he continue to progress, United’s total squad price could increase thanks to the young midfielder.

8 Paris Saint-Germain

Squad value – £736.8 million

Despite Joao Neves joining from Benfica, Desire Doue arriving from Stade Rennais, and Willian Pacho signing from Frankfurt this summer, Paris Saint-Germain’s squad value has dropped significantly since the last update, with their ranking going from fourth to eighth. The reason for this, is all thanks to one superstar who swapped the French capital for the Spanish one.

The news sent shock waves through football that PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe would be leaving the Ligue 1 powerhouse in the summer when his contract expires. As expected, what the collective became worth was a major dip from what they were worth with the most valuable player on the planet. Luis Enrique will need to regroup in order to ensure that the Parisians don’t miss their talisman.

7 Barcelona

Squad value – £738.4 million

Barcelona have been heavily hit by the effects of the pandemic years ago, and their struggles have been well documented since, especially when it comes to the wages of some of their stars. Yet despite that, they still find themselves well inside the top 10 of the list despite the reliance on elder statesman such as Robert Lewandowski.

However, young stars Paul Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal received significant upgrades in their transfer value, with both set to have very bright futures ahead. With the Spanish side continuing to produce talented individuals, as well as still having the likes of Jules Kounde, Gavi and Pedri also still around, brighter days could yet be ahead.

6 Liverpool

Squad value – £778.6 million

Arne Slot’s Liverpool have moved up a spot since the summer despite a transfer window that was particularly quiet at Anfield. Despite selling youngsters such as Fabio Carvalho and Sepp van dee Berg, there has been little in the way of newcomers to help bolster the new manager’s options.

Despite that, they have not only made a strong start to the new Premier League campaign, but also reaped the benefits of several world-class talents, including Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander Arnold, even if their contracts are due to expire soon. They also have bright fresh faces coming through that are only going to grow in value, such as Conor Bradley.

5 Bayern Munich

Squad value – £796 million

The team that lost the stranglehold on the Bundesliga silverware last season also found themselves a position lower on this following just a short increase of £400,000 in their overall squad value. Regardless, Bayern Munich is still home to one of the most expensive groups in the game.

Mathys Tel, Leon Goretzka and Alphonso Davies’ prices were downgraded, but Aleksandar Pavlovic was rewarded for his impressive campaign. Both Jamal Musiala and Harry Kane are the club’s most valuable players, with one’s valuation only set to increase while the others could dip as age catches up to him.

The German giants have a wealth of talent at their disposal, with new signings Michael Olise and Joao Palhinha also likely to contribute to the club’s total squad value.

4 Chelsea

Squad value – £810 million

Despite their disappointing campaign, Chelsea have risen to become the fourth most valuable team in the world. The Blues have spent a lot of money since Todd Boehly took over, and they’ve amassed a huge team of talented youngsters.

Has it paid off on the pitch? The short answer is no. Several different managers have tried to work with the infinite riches that seem to be at their disposal, but the fact that the Blues have almost as many players not available for matchday squads than those who are has to be difficult for anyone to juggle with. Somehow, with all the money that has been spent with reckless abandonment, they have still not purchased a top tier number nine.

3 Arsenal

Squad value – £959.3 million

Having been pipped to the Premier League title in 2023, Mikel Arteta’s side opted to splash the cash that summer, signing the likes of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber in order to help their title charge. Unfortunately, the Gunners fell short again and have since taken a more conservative approach in the market.

This time, nowhere near as much was spent on recruiting Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino, while the loan deal to get Raheem Sterling through the door is largely Chelsea’s financial burden. Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and defender Gabriel have all had upgrades during the Premier League update and will continue to rise in order to push Arsenal back into the top two where they have just fallen out of.

2 Manchester City

Squad value – £1.063 billion

It is hard to improve what might be the greatest team on the planet. However, the more minimalistic approach to first team investment has meant that Manchester City went from treble winners to just domestic champions, and from the most valuable squad in the world to the second-most.

To his credit, Pep Guardiola has struggled to tinker with perfection. This has meant that little money has been spent in comparison to previous years, while some names have still been allowed to leave, which as a result, has caused a decrease in squad value. The likes of Savinho and Rico Lewis are only going to improve though, and will help raise the value as time goes on.

1 Real Madrid

Squad value – £1.130 billion

Being the highest valued squad in Spain wasn’t quite enough for Real Madrid. Despite winning the Champions League for a record extending 15th, Florentino Perez decided there was still a diamond missing in the crown, and boy did he ever fill it.

The arrival of Kylian Mbappe, despite the squad already being filled with several of this year’s Ballon d’Or contenders, has only made Los Blancos all the more frightening a proposition to come up against. It has been enough to tip their value past the billion pound mark and will likely pay off with more trophies and honours in the years to come.

All statistics taken via Transfermarkt (and correct as of 10/09/2024).