Wolverhampton Wanderers have cashed in on a plethora of star players in recent years, dealing with some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs to bring in large sums of cash.
Here is a look at Wolves’ 20 most expensive departures from Molineux, with a detailed look at the top 10.
Wolves' most expensive signings of all time
Football FanCast takes a detailed look at Wolves’ 10 most expensive signings of all time.
ByCharlie SmithSep 5, 2025
1
Matheus Cunha
£62.5m
Man Utd
2025
2
Matheus Nunes
£53m
Man City
2023
3
Pedro Neto
£51.3m
Chelsea
2024
4
Ruben Neves
£47m
Al Hilal
2023
=5
Max Kilman
£40m
West Ham
2024
=5
Diogo Jota
£40m
Liverpool
2020
7
Rayan Ait-Nouri
£31m
Man City
2025
8
Morgan Gibbs-White
£25m
Nottingham Forest
2016
9
Nathan Collins
£23m
Brentford
2023
10
Fabio Silva
£19.5m
Borussia Dortmund
2025
11
Helder Costa
£16m
Leeds
2020
12
Matt Doherty
£14.7m
Tottenham
2020
13
Rafa Mir
£13.7m
Sevilla
2021
14
Leander Dendoncker
£13m
Aston Villa
2022
=15
Benik Afobe
£12m
Stoke
2019
=15
Steven Fletcher
£12m
Sunderland
2012
=17
Ivan Cavaleiro
£10m
Fulham
2020
=17
Benik Afobe
£10m
Bournemouth
2016
19
Rui Patricio
£9.8m
Roma
2021
20
Matt Jarvis
£9m
West Ham
2012
Here is a detailed look at Wolves' 10 record departures… 10 Fabio Silva £19.5m to Borussia Dortmund, 2025
Wolves actually broke their transfer record at the time to sign Fabio Silva from FC Porto as a teenager, with the forward costing the club more than £35m.
Unfortunately for the Old Gold and Silva, things never clicked in the Midlands, with Silva being loaned out to four different clubs before Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund came in with a permanent £19.5m deal in 2025.
9 Nathan Collins £23m to Brentford, 2023
Nathan Collins’ time at Molineux was short-lived, only spending one full season with Wolves before being sold to Brentford in 2023.
The Republic of Ireland international joined the Bees for what was a club-record £23m, which resulted in Wolves making a £3m profit.
8 Morgan Gibbs-White £25m to Nottingham Forest, 2022
Attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White came through the Wolves academy and spent a number of years in the senior side at Molineux before his move to Nottingham Forest in 2022.
The Reds paid an initial £25m for Gibbs-White, although a further £17.5m could be paid in performance and appearance-related add-ons.
7 Rayan Ait-Nouri £31m to Man City, 2025
Rayan Ait-Nouri went from strength to strength during his five-year stay at Molineux, making his move permanent from French side Angers in 2021 following a successful loan spell.
The left-back made more than 150 appearances for Wolves and got the eye of Pep Guardiola and Man City in 2025, who paid just over £30m to sign the Algerian.
6 Diogo Jota £40m to Liverpool, 2020
It’s scary to think that Diogo Jota played for Wolves in the Championship and was a key member of the side that won promotion in 2018.
The Portugal international’s initial loan move to Molineux became permanent while still in the second tier, and after three years in the Midlands, Liverpool came calling in 2020 and paid £40m for the attacker. Tragically, the forward died in a car crash in 2025.
5 Max Kilman £40m to West Ham, 2024
Centre-back Max Kilman reunited with former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui in 2024 when he moved to West Ham in a £40m transfer.
Things didn’t work out for Lopetegui, who was sacked by the Hammers, while Kilman, who spent six seasons at Molineux, signed a seven-year contract with West Ham.
4 Ruben Neves £47m to Al-Hilal, 2023
Ruben Neves swapped the Champions League for the Championship when signing for Wolves in 2017, and he would go on to make more than 250 appearances for the Old Gold.
Regularly linked with moves away from Molineux, Neves eventually swapped the Midlands for Saudi Arabia, with Al-Hilal paying £47m for the Portugal international in 2023.
3 Pedro Neto £51.3m to Chelsea, 2024
Another Portuguese star who lit up Molineux was winger Pedro Neto. He had his injury issues, though, making 135 appearances in five full seasons.
Chelsea weren’t put off by Neto’s injury history and spent more than £50m on the attacker in 2024, with the wide forward penning a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
2 Matheus Nunes £53m to Man City, 2023
Matheus Nunes was Wolves’ most expensive departure for two years following his £53m move to Manchester City in 2023.
The midfielder starred in his only campaign at Molineux after joining from Sporting CP, so much so that those at the Etihad improved their initial offer and secured Nunes to a five-year deal.
1 Matheus Cunha £62.5m to Man Utd
Another Matheus tops the list in forward Matheus Cunha, who also headed to Manchester, this time to Old Trafford.
The Red Devils were on the search for a new marquee attacker, and following Cunha’s excellent campaigns at Molineux, decided to trigger his £62.5m release clause. The Brazilian left the Midlands after scoring 33 goals in 92 games.