Manchester United and Liverpool are both financial powerhouses, so we’ve had a look at their net transfer spend since Jurgen Klopp took over at the Merseyside club in October 2015.
United are known for spending huge amounts of money, but their inconsistent transfer policy has meant that their huge squad is overpaid and underperforming.
While improvements have been made under Erik ten Hag, United have certainly made plenty of mistakes when signing players.
Up until the end of last season, Liverpool had leapfrogged their rivals since Klopp arrived at Anfield, in part thanks to the club’s more careful transfer decisions.
The Reds clinched the Champions League in 2018-19 with a squad that included clever acquisitions like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane and then went on to finally win their first Premier League the following season.
They then suffered with injuries in 2020-21 but came storming back last season, winning the FA Cup and League Cup, as well as making it to the Champions League final and taking the Premier League race to the final day.
But Liverpool have dropped off alarmingly this season and face an uphill struggle to qualify for the Champions League.
Meanwhile, United have enjoyed a renaissance under Ten Hag. They’ve won their first piece of silverware in six seasons, beating Newcastle in the League Cup final, and are handily positioned in the Premier League.
With an FA Cup quarter-final and Europa League last 16 tie to look forward to, United will feel confident of winning further trophies before the end of May.
But what about the difference in transfer spending between United and Liverpool in recent years?
We’ve had a look at the figures from Transfermarkt and picked out the five biggest purchases and five biggest sales for both clubs since Klopp arrived in October 2015, as well as figured out the net spend for both clubs.
Liverpool
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Virgil van Dijk – £76.19milion
2. Darwin Nunez – £67.5million
3. Alisson – £56.25million
4. Naby Keita – £54.00million
5. Luis Diaz – £42.30million
Five Biggest Sales
1. Philippe Coutinho – £121.50million
2. Sadio Mane – £28.80million
3. Christian Benteke – £28.08million
4. Mamadou Sakho – £25.38million
5. Danny Ings – £22.59million
Total Spent: £675.09million
Total Sold: £438.84million
Total Net Spend: £236.25million
Manchester United
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Paul Pogba – £94.50million
2. Antony – £84.3million
3. Harry Maguire – £78.30million
4. Jadon Sancho – £76.5million
5. Romelu Lukaku – £76.23million
Five Biggest Sales
1. Romelu Lukaku – £66.60million
2. Henrikh Mkhitaryan – £30.60million
3. Daniel James – £26.19million
4. Morgan Schniderlin – £20.70million
=5. Memphis Depay – £14.40million
=5. Daley Blind – £14.40million
Total Spent: £1.045billion
Total Sold: £237.77million
Total Net Spend: £807.23million
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