Saturday, February 22, 2025

15 Most Expensive Teenagers in Premier League History (Ranked)

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Summary

  • Manchester United have spent more than £25m on five different teenagers in the last 20 years.
  • Only two Premier League players under the age of 20 have ever commanded a fee in excess of £50m.
  • Tottenham, Brighton and Newcastle all purchased some of the most expensive teens in the competition’s history during the summer 2024 transfer window.

In today’s money-driven game, the search for the next prodigy of the footballing world sometimes comes at a high price. Not everyone can secure the services of the future Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Kylian Mbappe.

As a result, it is becoming increasingly common for clubs to spend colossal sums in an attempt to recruit the player who will become the symbol of the next generation and enable them to lift trophies – while increasing revenues for future purchases. This is an approach that makes even more sense in the Premier League, where the most outrageous sums are spent every year in the transfer window.

After the January transfer window in 2025 saw some more big money spent, here is a rundown of the most expensive teenagers — under-19 — ever to have joined a Premier League club and how they fared.

The Most Expensive Teenagers in Premier League History

Rank

Player

From

To

Year

Fee

1.

Romeo Lavia

Southampton

Chelsea

2023

£51.6m

2.

Leny Yoro

LOSC

Manchester United

2024

£51.5m

3.

Anthony Martial

Monaco

Manchester United

2015

£49.8m

4.

Archie Gray

Leeds United

Tottenham

2024

£34.2m

5.

Fabio Silva

FC Porto

Wolverhampton Wanderers

2020

£33.2m

6.

Luke Shaw

Southampton

Manchester United

2014

£31.1m

7.

Vitor Reis

Palmeiras

Manchester City

2025

£30.7m

8.

Wayne Rooney

Everton

Manchester United

2004

£30.7m

9.

Yankuba Minteh

Newcastle United

Brighton

2024

£29m

10.

Wesley Fofana

Saint-Etienne

Leicester City

2020

£29m

11.

Estevao Willian

Palmeiras

Chelsea

2025

£28.2m

12.

Lewis Hall

Chelsea

Newcastle United

2024

£27.4m

13.

Gabriel Jesus

Palmeiras

Manchester City

2017

£26.6m

14.

Anderson

FC Porto

Manchester United

2007

£26.1m

15.

Malo Gusto

Olympique Lyonnais

Chelsea

2023

£24.6m

All transfer amounts have been converted from euros to pounds from Transfermarkt – correct as of 17-02-25.

17 Malo Gusto – £24.6m

From Olympique Lyonnais to Chelsea (2023)

Malo Gusto

Malo Gusto made his professional debut in January 2021 during the fiery Derby between his parent club Olympique Lyonnais and AS Saint-Étienne, and has enjoyed a meteoric rise. A first-team regular at right-back from the start of the 2021/22 season, he made no fewer than 37 appearances in his first full season with Les Gones.

In the end, it was a rather unsurprising explosion for a player regarded as one of the greatest hopes of the famous Lyon side, and one that has not gone unnoticed by some of Europe’s top clubs. Starting with Chelsea, who decided to invest over £24m to secure his services in 2023. It was a decision that has so far proved fruitful, with the young French international establishing himself in the Blues’ defensive line due to the repeated absences of his captain Reece James.

16 Anderson – £26.1m

From FC Porto to Manchester United (2007)

Anderson

Having joined Manchester United from FC Porto in 2007, Anderson was a player full of promise. His recognition as Golden Boy 2008 is the most tangible proof of this.

However, given the fierce competition for places in the Red Devils’ squad at the time and the numerous injuries he had to deal with, the Brazilian midfielder never fully succeeded in establishing himself as an undisputed first-team regular. Nevertheless, that did not stop him from making some 180 appearances for the club and, more importantly, winning numerous trophies, including the Champions League, the Club World Cup and four English league titles.

15 Gabriel Jesus – £26.6m

From Palmeiras to Manchester City (2017)

Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus celebrates scoring with outstretched arms.

Having made a remarkable professional debut with Brazilian club Palmeiras, Gabriel Jesus saw Manchester City spend £27m to secure his services in January 2017. It was a substantial sum for a 19-year-old who had no experience of European football at the time, but proved to be a particularly fruitful deal.

Despite suffering several injuries during his four-and-a-half seasons with the Sky Blues, the Brazilian striker nonetheless amassed a wealth of trophies, stacking up four Premier League titles, an FA Cup, four League Cups and two Community Shields. While filling in across the frontline where he was needed, Jesus directly contributed to 140 goals (scoring 95 and creating 45) in 236 appearances for the Cityzens.

14 Lewis Hall – £27.4m

From Chelsea to Newcastle (2024)

Newcastle United left-back Lewis Hall celebrating

After arriving at Chelsea in 2012, it was with the London club that Lewis Hall made his professional debut in January 2022. But despite becoming the youngest player to start an FA Cup tie for the Blues, the young Englishman had few opportunities to prove his worth in the first team.

In search of more minutes, Hall spent the 2023/24 season at Newcastle, initially on loan with a compulsory option to buy – subject to certain criteria – and where the left-back made 22 appearances (scoring two goals) over the course of the campaign. Hall’s £28m move to the Magpies immediately made him one of the top 10 most expensive signings in Newcastle’s history.

13 Estevao Willian – £28.2m

From Palmeiras to Chelsea (2025)

Estevao Willian

Like Gabriel Jesus before him, Estevao Willian is preparing to make the leap from Brazil to the Premier League. And like his predecessor, the young winger was also trained at Palmeiras. The native of the Sao Paulo region will only join Chelsea in the summer of 2025, when he has turned 18 and is eligible for an international move.

This hefty deal represents a gamble on the future of a player whose transfer is currently valued at £29m, but which, if the bonuses included in the deal were to kick in, would reach £56m. Described as “the greatest Brazilian talent since Neymar” by 1994 world champion Branco, Estevao already has a great deal of pressure on his shoulders.

12 Wesley Fofana – £29m

From Saint-Etienne to Leicester (2020)

Wesley Fofana (Leicester)

Wesley Fofana played for several youth sides in the south of France, before joining legendary club AS Saint-Etienne in 2015 at the age of 15. There, he enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence, making his professional debut in May 2019.

After a promising 2019/20 campaign, the Marseille native left the Forez for England, where he joined Leicester City for £29m. The 19-year-old became the most expensive sale in the history of Les Verts, but also the second most expensive recruit in the history of the Foxes – behind Youri Tielemans, who arrived in January 2019 for a fee approaching £40m.

11 Yankuba Minteh – £29m

From Newcastle to Brighton (2024)

yankuba-minteh

The sale of Yankuba Minteh allowed Newcastle to make a healthy profit of around £25m in the space of a year. Bought from Danish club Odense for £5.8m in 2023, the Gambian exploded onto the scene during a loan spell at Feyenoord in the 2023/24 season.

Scoring 11 goals and providing six assists in 37 appearances for the Rotterdam outfit, Minteh attracted a lot of interest. But in the end it was Brighton who proved the most convincing, spending a sum approaching £30m to secure the services of the promising 19-year-old striker until 2029. While the Magpies can’t complain, Brighton could command an even larger sum for Minteh in the future.

10 Wayne Rooney – £30.7m

From Everton to Manchester United (2004)

Wayne Rooney celebrates scoring for Manchester United.

A transfer worth every penny. Born in Liverpool, where he joined Everton at the age of 10, Wayne Rooney wasted no time in gatecrashing the senior side. On 19th October 2002, at the age of 16 years, 11 months and 25 days, he became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League – a landmark which was surpassed by James Milner and James Vaughan.

Regarded as one of the most promising young talents in world football, he joined Manchester United in 2004 at the age of 18 for a fee of around £30m. It was a hefty sum that the striker would justify throughout his career, making 559 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 253 goals, providing 139 assists while collecting two PFA Young Player of the Year awards and one PFA Player of the Year award. To this day, he remains Manchester United’s all-time top scorer.

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9 Vitor Reis – £30.7m

From Palmeiras to Manchester City (2025)

Vitor Reis (Palmeiras)

It’s true to say that Manchester City have spared no expense in their bid to get the 2024/25 season off to a flying start. And the winter transfer market proved particularly fruitful. In addition to Omar Marmoush (£59m, Eintracht Frankfurt) and Abdukodir Khusanov (£33.8m), Vitor Reis (£30.7m) has also joined the Skyblues.

Considered one of the most promising young defenders on the South American continent, the 19-year-old first made his mark at Palmeiras before making the long-awaited move to Europe. And Pep Guardiola didn’t wait long before throwing him into the deep end, making his debut in the FA Cup.

8 Luke Shaw – £31.1m

From Southampton to Manchester United (2014)

Luke Shaw

Regarded as one of the great talents of Southampton’s academy, Luke Shaw saw the confidence of his club materialise when, on 10th November 2012, he became the youngest Saints player in history to start a Premier League match. Boasting enormous potential, the left-back came close to joining Chelsea, the club he grew up supporting, before his wage demands put the Blues off, instead heading for Manchester United in the summer of 2014.

A transfer valued at £31.1m made him one of the most expensive teenagers in world football – he was 18 at the time. Now 29, the England international has made almost 300 appearances and won several trophies (one Europa League, one FA Cup, one Community Shield and two League Cups) with Manchester United.

7 Fabio Silva – £33.2m

From Porto to Wolves (2020)

Fabio Silva

When Fabio Silva joined Wolverhampton Wanderers for £33.2m in 2020, he became the most expensive recruit in the club’s history – a record since beaten by Matheus Nunes (£38m) and Matheus Cunha (£44). Trained at Porto before moving to arch-rivals Benfica, the Portuguese striker returned to the Dragons in 2017 and made his professional debut there two years later, shattering several youth-related records.

Perceived as one of the greatest talents in world football, he joined Wolves at the age of 18 but failed to establish himself in the Midlands. Since then, he has been on loan at Anderlecht, PSV Eindhoven and Rangers, but has failed to become a permanent fixture at any of those clubs.

6

5

4 Archie Gray – £34.2m

From Leeds to Tottenham (2024)

Archie Gray

At just 18 years of age, Archie Gray is already blowing people away. An undisputed starter for Daniel Farke’s Leeds United as they came within one match of promotion, the versatile midfielder played a total of 52 games for the Yorkshire outfit – and was voted EFL Championship Young Player of the Season.

Gray’s performances convinced Tottenham to bid an estimated £34m to secure his services. It has been a rapid rise for the player who, in December 2015, aged just 15, appeared on the bench for his parent club, called up by Marcelo Bielsa for a Premier League match against Arsenal. The future is already looking bright for the Durham native.

3 Anthony Martial – £49.8m

From Monaco to Manchester United (2015)

Anthony Martial celebrates for Manchester United.

Regarded as one of the greatest talents to come through the Olympique Lyonnais youth academy, Anthony Martial first came to public attention at AS Monaco. After two seasons with the Principality club, the 19-year-old centre-forward joined Manchester United for £44.7m (excluding bonuses).

It was a huge coup that quickly proved to be a winner for the Red Devils, with the Frenchman demonstrating an expressive ability to adapt. An idyllic start was followed by good times and bad. In May 2024, nine years after his arrival in England, the 28-year-old finally announced his departure from the Mancunian club. In all, he played 317 games and scored 90 goals.

2 Leny Yoro – £51.5m

From LOSC to Manchester United (2024)

Leny Yoro

With Raphael Varane having announced his departure from Manchester United at the end of the 2023/24 season, the Red Devils’ management had to find a replacement. And to do so, they did not hesitate to spend £51.5m to secure the services of young French central defender Leny Yoro – at the expense of Real Madrid, who were also interested in signing him.

Launched into the professional game with Lille in Ligue 1, the 19-year-old is considered one of the best young players on the planet. It’s a status he’ll have to live up to very quickly at one of world football’s leading clubs.

1 Romeo Lavia – £51.6m

From Southampton to Chelsea (2023)

Romeo Lavia Chelsea

£53m. That’s the crazy sum Chelsea offered Southampton to prise Romeo Lavia away from St Mary’s Stadium in June 2023. Having come through at Anderlecht and played for Manchester City, the young Belgian midfielder was bought by the Saints for £10.5m just one year before making an even bigger move to west London.

Despite suffering relegation on the south coast, the 19-year-old midfielder had a good season on an individual level and convinced the Blues management of his talent. But in his first season at Stamford Bridge, everything went wrong. Suffering from a myriad of injuries throughout the season, Lavia ended up playing just 32 minutes in all competitions.

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