The 10 Most Expensive Players to Leave MLS for Europe

Diego Gomez became the latest player to move from Major League Soccer to the Premier League. In 2024 alone, three MLS players entered the top 10 of the league's most expensive transfers headed overseas.

Diego Gomez is on his way to the Premier League after leaving Major League Soccer and Inter Miami. / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Year after year, MLS clubs are reaping the benefits of transferring some of their brightest stars to Europe for record-breaking fees. None more recently than Diego Gómez who recently moved from Inter Miami to Brighton & Hove Albion.

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Although Major League Soccer has made headlines by signing legendary soccer players, including David Beckham, Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, the league is also completing monumental deals for players on their way to Europe. As MLS continues to expand and attract more attention, the league's top stars are receiving opportunities represent Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A clubs.

Transfer fees for players heading to Europe have exceeded $20 million multiple times in recent years. In fact, in 2024 alone, three players have cracked the MLS's top ten most expensive outgoing transfers of all time. Some players have yet to leave their mark against European competition, but others have flourished since leaving MLS.

Check out the most expensive outgoing transfers in MLS history that made their way to Europe.

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The 10 Most Expensive Players to Leave MLS for Europe

Player	Transfer Fee	Year	European Club Joined	Previous MLS Club
Miguel Almirón	$27m	2019	Newcastle United	Atlanta United
Alphonso Davies	$22m	2018	Bayern Munich	Vancouver Whitecaps
Jhon Durán	$22m	2023	Aston Villa	Chicago Fire
Ricardo Pepi	$20m	2022	FC Augsburg	FC Dallas
Djordje Petrovic	$17.5m	2023	Chelsea	New England Revolution
Valentín 'Taty' Castellanos	$16.7m	2023	S.S. Lazio	NYCFC
Diego Gómez	$15m	2024	Brighton & Hove Albion	Inter Miami
Carlos Andrés Gómez	$13m	2024	Stade Rennes	Real Salt Lake
Caleb Wiley	$11m	2024	Chelsea	Atlanta United
Brenner	$10m	2023	Udinese	FC Cincinatti

The newest edition to the list is Diego Gómez who recently signed with Brighton & Hove Albion from Inter Miami. At a reported $15 million, it's the seventh most expensive transfer. In fact, the seventh, eighth and ninth most expensive transfers to Europe happened in 2024. A testament to not only the increased economics around player transfers, but to the talent that is garnering interest abroad.

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