Barcelona's prestige means they're able to attract the world's best at the drop of a hat, but their recent record in the transfer market is spotty at best.
While their Clasico rivals emphasised a transfer policy of acquiring superstar talent at the start of the century, Barça's priorities laid with its academy and their knack for producing gems for La Masia ensured mammoth sums weren't splurged on external talent in the transfer market for a while.
However, a perpetual stream of Xavis, Iniestas, and Messi aren't flowing out of La Masia, and the club's lofty ambitions have seen them turn to the transfer market in recent years in a bid to retain their status among the continent's aristocracy.
Here are the ten most expensive signings in Barcelona's history.
10. Ferran Torres (€55m from Man City)
The former Valencia hotshot enjoyed a brief spell at Manchester City before joining Barcelona at the start of 2022.
The Spanish international has flickered the talent which saw him emerge as one of La Liga's most exciting young talents during his time at the Mestalla, but he's failed to cement himself as a regular for Xavi.
While he's versatile and can operate as a handy outlet for both club and country, his final third inefficiency has proven to be a distinct source of frustration for supporters.
9. Raphinha (€58m from Leeds)
Ferran's minutes were limited in 2022/23 after the club spent €58m to sign Raphinha, who'd blossomed in a sub-par Leeds outfit the season prior.
The competition was fierce for his signature, but the allure of Barça proved too tough to resist. Raphinha's debut year started slowly, but it wasn't long before he found his groove and he played a key role in the club's La Liga success as he notched 14 goal contributions in 36 appearances.
Xavi has previously hailed the winger as 'the future of Barcelona', with the Brazilian keen to emerge as the club's next samba icon.
8. Miralem Pjanic (€60m from Juventus)
This will be remembered as one of the strangest transfers of the modern day, and the investigation surrounding Juventus' dealings during this period means it's also one laden with controversy.
Barcelona and Juve essentially swapped Arthur Melo and Pjanic to balance their books, with Barça purchasing the ageing Bosnian for €60m and sending Arthur to Turin for an initial €72m.
Pjanic, a wonderful midfielder during his apex, was on his way down by the time he joined the club and he barely featured in Blaugrana colours before eventually signing for Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (€69.5m from Inter)
Ibrahimovic had long established himself as one of Europe's most unique and dominant forwards by the time he joined Barcelona in 2009, but this was a move the Catalan club would live to regret.
Samuel Eto'o was sacrificed in order to bring Ibra to Camp Nou, and he'd go on to play a selfless role for Jose Mourinho's treble-winners in 2009/10.
As for the towering Swede, his time in Catalonia started wonderfully, but his relationship with manager Pep Guardiola quickly deteriorated. Reports at the time suggested the pair barely spoke, and the striker would later label his former boss a 'spineless coward' after confronting him in the dressing room following Barça's defeat to Inter in the Champions League semi-finals.
Zlatan departed for AC Milan after just one season in Spain.
6. Frenkie de Jong (€75m from Ajax)
De Jong's reputation soared during the 2018/19 campaign as his Ajax side dazzled in the Champions League before succumbing to a miraculous Lucas Moura hat-trick in the semi-final second leg.
The Dutch midfielder was one of Erik ten Hag's lynchpins; a progressive performer with impressive defensive instincts, and it was no surprise Barcelona came calling the following summer.
However, life for De Jong at Barcelona hasn't exactly been plain sailing, although he started to come into his own during the 2022/23 campaign as Xavi afforded him greater freedom from an #8 position.
His excellent year combined with his performances for the national team means De Jong is regarded as one of the finest midfielders in Europe.
5. Luis Suarez (€82m from Liverpool)
Suarez embarked on what many believe is the greatest single season by any individual in Premier League history in 2013/14, and Liverpool had no shot of retaining the striker's services when Barcelona came calling.
An €82m deal was quickly wrapped up, although he missed the start of the 2014/15 campaign due to a ban carried over for biting Branislav Ivanovic.
However, once he got out onto Camp Nou turf, Suarez never looked back. The striker forged a deadly relationship with fellow superstars Lionel Messi and Neymar as Barça lifted the Champions League during his first year The Uruguayan was often recognised as the best 'number nine' in the game throughout his Barcelona stay, and he'd end his career in Catalonia as the club's third-highest goalscorer of all time.
Suarez scored 195 goals in 283 games.
4. Neymar (€88m from Santos)
The kid that broke the internet fulfilled his dream of signing for Barcelona in 2013 after pledging to sign for the club two years prior amid interest from Real Madrid and Chelsea.
While the deal to sign Neymar was a massive win for then-president Sandro Rosell, the controversy surrounding the move - with details emerging in the years that followed - has only added to Rosell's infamy.
Despite Barcelona paying much more than it was initially perceived for the Brazilian winger's services, Neymar was worth every penny as he enjoyed four startling years with the club. He ended his career in Catalonia with 105 goals and 76 assists in 186 games before garnering a world record transfer fee for his eventual to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
3. Antoine Griezmann (€120m from Atletico Madrid)
Okay, here's where it gets bad.
On the surface, acquiring one of Europe's best in Griezmann doesn't seem so ill-advised, but Barcelona's woeful squad planning meant the Frenchman was never a natural fit. He'd excelled as a second striker at Atletico Madrid, where his lofty reputation was forged. But at Barça, a club wedded to its 4-3-3, it wasn't clear where his best position was.
Griezmann was thrust into several unnatural roles by multiple managers, and while there were times where the Frenchman shone, he certainly didn't do enough to justify his €120m fee. 35 goals in 102 games was his return, and he's since returned to Atletico where his best form has manifested regularly once more.
2. Ousmane Dembele (€145m from Borussia Dortmund)
While the signing of Griezmann was woeful mismanagement on Barcelona's behalf, you can't deny that the club's been unlucky when it comes to Dembele.
Sure, the club was taking a risk on a spritely young winger, but his talent was immense and there are times when the Frenchman's been nothing short of unplayable in Catalonia. Current boss Xavi has perpetually sung the winger's praises, describing him as 'special' and 'the best one-v-one player around'.
The manager's assessment isn't hyperbole either. Dembele truly is one of a kind, but injuries have crippled his time at the club.
The 26-year-old has missed 117 games due to various injuries in his first six seasons at Camp Nou.
1. Philippe Coutinho (€160m from Liverpool)
When Barcelona agreed a club record €160m to sign Coutinho from Liverpool in 2018, some thought the price tag was a tad expensive. But very few foreshadowed the Brazilian's misfortunes in Catalonia.
He was a massive flop, and this will be regarded as one of the worst pieces of business of all-time - Liverpool even pocketed every last add-on.
Coutinho had blossomed into one of Europe's premier playmakers at Liverpool which convinced Barça to make a move, but once again, poor squad planning meant the natural #10 didn't fit into the club's 4-3-3. He was often thrust out wide to varying degrees of success, but he rarely showed the form which saw him emerge as a star at Anfield.
There was no real drive on the player's behalf to ever turn his situation around, and he's since faded into obscurity at Aston Villa following the arrival of Unai Emery.
Barcelona's most expensive signings ever
This article was originally published on 90min as Barcelona's most expensive signings ever.
