Top 10 most expensive footballers of all time

#2 Philippe Coutinho

Philippe Coutinho is Barcelona's most expensive player of all time

The biggest transfer saga of 2017 came to a close this year when Barcelona succeeded in snatching Philippe Coutinho for a fee of €120 million from the clutches of Liverpool. The Merseysiders won the battle to keep him in August, but they were resigned to losing him in the winter.

Philippe Coutinho's arrival was much needed at the Nou Camp, considering how the ever-magical Andres Iniesta is ageing no slower. The Brazilian made an impressive debut in a 2-0 home win against Espanyol.

Prior to his much-anticipated move to the Catalan giants, the 25-year-old had replicated his fine form in spite of all the transfer speculation that surrounded him. Now that he has joined Barcelona, he will be expected to become a player as crucial as Andres Iniesta and shoulder a few of Leo Messi's responsibilities as one of the main players at the club.

Also, he might be the second-most expensive player behind Neymar for now, but that is set to change next year when Paris Saint-Germain make Kylian Mbappe's move a permanent one.

Further, with Coutinho, Barcelona boast the highest number of players (3) on this list, indicating how times have changed. Once a club who believed in developing youth players rather than investing in the transfer market, La Blaugrana are now definitely in the same league as heavy spenders Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and the Manchester clubs.