Football transfers are not cheap. To have a player strengthen their ranks, teams are willing to pay big money. The football transfer considered to be the most expensive in the sport's history was that of Gareth Bale leaving Tottenham to play at Real Madrid. The Spanish club paid not less than £86 million (about $133 million at today's exchange rates) to have the player among its own. But recent news suggest that this record might be broken this year. According to reports in the media, UK Premier League team Manchester United is willing to almost double that amount.

Yamaha Spanish rider Alex Rins falls during the MotoGP sprint race of the Portuguese Grand Prix at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao on March 23, 2024. (Photo by Patrícia de Melo Moreira/AFP Photo)

Domestic tourists visit the beach at Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area in Wonsan, North Korea's Kangwon Province on July 1, 2025. North Korea opened a massive resort area on its east coast, state media said on July 2, with the tourism pet project of leader Kim Jong Un reportedly set to welcome Russian guests later this month. (Photo by Kim Won Jin/AFP Photo)

U.S. President Barack Obama laughs as he reads the storybook “Where the Wild Things Are” during the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House in Washington April 6, 2015. Thousands of children gathered at the White House for the annual Easter Egg Roll. This year's event features live music, cooking stations, storytelling, and of course, some Easter egg roll. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

A man waits for Queen Beatrix's abdication ceremony outside the Royal Palace in Amsterdam April 30, 2013. The Netherlands is celebrating Queen's Day on Tuesday, which will also mark the abdication of Queen Beatrix and the investiture of her eldest son Willem-Alexander. (Photo by Paul Vreeker/Reuters)

Anne Hathaway arrives for the premiere of Twentieth Century Fox & Blue Sky Studios' “RIO” on April 10, 2011 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images)

Netherland's Kitty van Male is hit in the face by Argentina's Agustina Habif during the women's quarterfinal field hockey game, August 15, 2016. (Photo by Carl de Souza/AFP Photo)

Recording artist Yeini arrives at the 17th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., November 17, 2016. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Reuters)