A third of Liverpool’s most lucrative player sales have come since 2020, but who makes the top 15 list of all time?
The club is currently run in a self-sufficient manner, with player sales underpinning much of Liverpool’s business when it comes to investing back into the squad.
It does not always win them many fans, but the most fruitful sale in Liverpool’s history changed everything in the bid for silverware.
Here we take a look at Liverpool’s most expensive transfer sales – all of which have come since 2009!
15. Javier Mascherano – £17.25 million
When: 2010
To: Barcelona
Mascherano’s switch to Spain was a long-awaited move. He almost joined them a year prior with his family having struggled to settle on Merseyside.
Liverpool rejected Barcelona‘s first offer of £16 million but within a week had agreed terms for the Argentine’s departure after 139 appearances over five seasons.
14. Danny Ings – £20 million
When: 2019
To: Southampton
Michael Edwards negotiated a deal that saw Ings join Southampton on loan in 2018 with an obligation to buy the following year – it is up there with some of his best work.
The forward endeared himself to fans, but he was hampered by two serious knee injuries and never really threatened to be a regular starter.
And the same deal that saw him land at St Mary’s later netted Liverpool a further £2 million due to a sell-on clause.
13. Rhian Brewster – £23.5 million
When: 2020
To: Sheffield United
The youngster was an exciting talent, and despite having never made a senior league appearance for Liverpool, the club drove a hard bargain and made him Sheffield United‘s record signing.
Brewster failed to score a single goal in his first campaign with the Blades and has struggled with injuries ever since. He is still on their list and is starting to see minutes in 2024/25.
12. Dominic Solanke – £24 million
When: 2019
To: Bournemouth
The Reds ended up paying in the region of £5 million for Solanke at a tribunal and made substantial profit when Bournemouth agreed a deal worth up to £24 million in January 2019.
He had only scored one goal in 27 appearances for the club.
It was another Edwards masterstroke, as was banking a sell-on fee that they were able to capitalise on this summer after the striker moved to Tottenham for £65 million.
11. Sepp van den Berg – £25 million
When: 2024
To: Brentford
The centre-back is another example of Liverpool investing in young talent and selling them on for a higher fee if they do not go on to break into the first team.
Liverpool signed the Dutchman for £4.4 million in 2019, making a considerable profit on a player who made just four first-team appearances.
10. Mamadou Sakho – £26 million
When: 2017
To: Crystal Palace
Having been exiled by Klopp following a series of transgressions towards the end of 2015/16, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that Liverpool were eager to part ways with Sakho.
After an initial loan to Palace, a £26 million switch was agreed after 80 appearances for the Reds. The Frenchman spent four seasons at Selhurst Park before leaving in 2021.
9. Fabio Carvalho – £27.5 million
When: 2024
To: Brentford
Brentford were big spenders where Liverpool players were considered in 2024, and if the Carvalho deal sees all add-ons triggered, he will go down as their second most expensive signing.
He was only on the books at Anfield for two years and found himself to be a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, it was unfortunate for both parties that it did not work out.
Like the Van den Berg deal, Liverpool included a 17.5 percent sell-on clause, which they will be entitled to if Brentford sell for a profit in the future.
8. Xabi Alonso – £30 million
When: 2009
To: Real Madrid
It was a long, drawn-out transfer saga between Liverpool and Real Madrid, which ultimately ended with Alonso bidding farewell after five years at Anfield.
Alonso later claimed he “needed a change,” but Rafa Benitez’s attempt to sell him the year prior to land Gareth Barry from Aston Villa ultimately culminated in his exit.
Madrid got a £30 million bargain!
7. Christian Benteke – £32 million
When: 2016
To: Crystal Palace
Brendan Rodgers was obsessed with landing Benteke, but he was never what Liverpool needed, and he found a much more suitable home at Selhurst Park for £32 million.
He scored 10 goals in his only season at Anfield – but the writing was on the wall the moment the club signed him. They ultimately were only able to break even on the deal.
6. Sadio Mane – £35.1 million
When: 2022
To: Bayern Munich
A modern-day great, but one who had shown signs he was slowing down, and the Reds were right to accept Bayern Munich’s offer in excess of £35 million.
It did not work out for Mane in Germany as just one year later he joined the exodus of players who made the move to Saudi Arabia – where he remains with Al Nassr.
5. Fabinho – £40 million
When: 2023
To: Al-Ittihad
There are a lot of parallels with Fabinho and Mane’s departures. The Brazilian’s legs had gone and it was evident he was no longer going to be the midfield destroyer we all loved.
That the club were able to maximise everything he had to offer and then move him on for just a few million less than they signed him for five years previous was a masterstroke.
4. Raheem Sterling – £49 million
When: 2015
To: Man City
It all turned sour very quickly as Sterling pushed for the exit, and Man City were more than happy to offer him an out by parting with £50 million for the then 20-year-old.
He was under contract but the sale made him the most expensive English player ever, and the deal still sits inside the top four for Liverpool after making quite the profit – the Reds had only paid an initial £600,000 for the youngster in 2010.
3. Fernando Torres – £50 million
When: 2011
To: Chelsea
When Torres left for Chelsea on transfer deadline day in 2011, he broke supporters’ hearts and the wounds have not healed for many – understandably so.
The striker lit up Anfield and would score 81 goals in 142 games, but the Reds were more than compensated for his move to Stamford Bridge. They never got the Torres we did, though!
2. Luis Suarez – £65 million
When: 2014
To: Barcelona
The Uruguayan’s switch to Barcelona came immediately after the World Cup in 2014, shrouded in the controversy of a biting incident involving Giorgio Chiellini.
His departure did not come as a surprise, but Liverpool’s inability to re-invest the funds appropriately was another story entirely. He remains one of the most captivating Reds in history.
1. Philippe Coutinho – £142 million
When: 2018
To: Barcelona
There can be no denying that Coutinho’s sale transformed the club and sent Jurgen Klopp‘s side on a different trajectory.
The money was reinvested into Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, game-changing additions who remain key pillars for the team and who the recent success was built around.
The grass is not always greener, as Coutinho has found out with four subsequent moves since he joined the Spanish side, but Liverpool will be glad he pushed his way out.
