As transfer fees skyrocket, clubs are increasingly turning to loan deals – but even these now come with steep fees. Manchester United, Juventus, and Tottenham are among the clubs who have paid large sums of money for short-term contracts.
A year after joining Chelsea in a £100 million move, Romelu Lukaku has returned to Inter Milan on loan for a loan price of roughly £7 million plus £3 million in add-ons.
This cost, while rather high considering the nature of the loan, as a one-year arrangement with no option or obligation to buy, does not position the Belgian deal among the most expensive loan packages, and some surprisingly high fees have been paid over the years.
Many of the most expensive loan deals took happened in Serie A, and the loanees have had mixed results.
Manchester United's Carlos Tevez
Tevez, the most recent signing on this list, joined Manchester United on a two-year loan from West Ham after a contentious tenure in east London.
United paid roughly £11.4million for the loan, and Tevez performed so effectively that Sir Alex Ferguson announced his wish to keep the striker… However, he was unwilling to spend £25 million to make the contract permanent.
The Argentinian crushed United hearts by joining bitter rivals Manchester City at the end of his loan stay, and Ferguson must have regretted forking over the cash.
One of many exciting chapters in Tevez's turbulent career.
5. Bayern Munich's James Rodriguez
James Rodriguez was a World Cup sensation in 2014 and quickly became a 'Galactico' when Real Madrid came calling, but his time at the Bernabeu was lackluster considering the anticipation.
After a string of poor seasons, the Colombian midfielder sought to revitalize his career by joining Bayern Munich on loan for two seasons in 2017 for about £11.7 million.
Rodriguez reunited with Carlo Ancelotti in Munich, where he performed well at times but struggled to establish consistency, and Bayern did not exercise the option to buy in his contract after his loan period expired.
A short time later, he found himself at Everton.
4. Atalanta's Duvan Zapata
Zapata, another Colombian star to appear here, had been loaned around Italy a lot, with periods at Napoli and Udinese before landing at Sampdoria, only to be transferred out again.
The striker joined Atalanta on a two-year loan for £12.6 million with a buy option in 2018, and he took use of it with zeal, scoring 28 goals in his debut season.
Sampdoria must be kicking themselves now that Zapata has become one of Serie A's top stars.
3. Giovani Lo Celso – Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs and loan transactions appear to have gone hand in hand in recent years, although Lo Celso was not one of them.
After a remarkable loan period at Real Betis that was extended, the Argentina midfielder went to north London on loan in August 2019 for roughly £14.4 million, and his option to buy was activated a few months later after a promising start.
Lo Celso's form, on the other hand, went off a cliff and was eventually leased out to Villarreal two years later.
2. Atletico Madrid's Alvaro Morata
The Spain international, a journeyman striker who seemed to prefer Europe's best teams, needed a confidence boost following a disastrous period at Chelsea and came on loan to Atletico Madrid for 18 months.
As a former Real Madrid star, this was a contentious move, but Morata excelled during his loan term, which cost Atletico £16.2 million, scoring 22 goals before the deal was made permanent.
However, a change of heart on the part of both the club and the player resulted in Morata being loaned out again for even more money.
After a successful term, some players stayed with their clubs permanently, while others returned to their parent club with their tails between their legs. We've compiled a list of the top ten loan packages with the highest costs.
Mattia Destro – Roma 10
The Italian striker was owned by both Siena and Genoa in a convoluted joint contract before joining Roma on loan in 2012 for a cost of £10.35 million.
There was an option to make the signing permanent for roughly £3.5 million, and despite a slew of injuries, the forward did an excellent job of filling in for Fabio Borini.
However, his injuries soon caught up with him, and he left on loan again less than three seasons later, having scored 29 goals in 68 games in Rome.
Manchester United's Odion Ighalo
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signed the former Watford star on loan from Shanghai Shenhua in January 2020, surprising everyone, including Ighalo himself.
The club paid a record £10.8 million for an initial six-month loan, which was extended for another six months following Project Restart, and the Nigerian striker scored five goals in 23 games.
Ighalo was signed as a replacement for the injured Marcus Rashford, and he wasn't quite the household name United supporters expected, but he endeared himself to them with his efforts, which is more than other superstars at Old Trafford have done.
You'll have to take a pay reduction to join United.' 'I don't care,' I answered. "Make this trade happen," Ighalo said after leaving the Chinese Super League.
"I'd like to go to United." I don't care how much the pay cut is; I'm aware of it; make it happen.
Nicolo Barella (Inter)
Inter signed the Cagliari midfielder on a one-year loan with an option to purchase in 2019.
The £10.8 million loan price was enough to persuade Cagliari to part ways with their finest player, and the deal was made permanent a year later for £30 million.
Barella has been nothing short of phenomenal since his first day at San Siro, and the 25-year-old has established himself as one of the best players in the world.
7. Juventus' Federico Chiesa
Chiesa exchanged Fiorentina for Juventus on a two-year loan in 2020, with an overall loan fee of £11.3 million and an obligation to buy for about £40 million after the loan.
The Italy winger was fantastic on loan, but he suffered a long-term injury in his second season. Nonetheless, the £51.3 million paid for Chiesa will very certainly be considered a steal.
The 24-year-old has been linked with Premier League clubs after being one of many Fiorentina stars plucked by Juventus over the years, but it will be a long time before Juventus even considers letting him leave.
1. Juventus' Alvaro Morata
The striker has collected up hefty transfer fees during his career, and Juventus paid an initial £18 million with a buy-back option in 2020 for Morata.
A year later, Juventus still couldn't determine if they wanted Morata on a permanent basis, so they paid another £10 million for a season-long loan, taking the same amount off his £45 million buyout option.
With 32 goals but some poor performances since his return to Turin, we don't know when the 29-year-old will find a home.
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