West Ham’s 10 biggest sales of all time

West Ham United have been a consistent Premier League club for some time and they are regarded as one of the biggest teams in England.

Indeed, the Hammers have not been short of quality in the past and some big-names have turned out for the club.

Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand, and Jermain Defoe, to name a few, have all played for the east London side before being moved on – with some significant money being brought in courtesy of their departures.

Below, FootballTransfers goes West Ham’s 10 biggest-ever sales.

10. Andre Ayew – €22.8m (to Swansea, 2018)

Journeyman attacker Andre Ayew joined West Ham for €24.1m in 2016 before being sold back to Swansea for €22.8m just a year and a half later.

In 50 games for the Hammers, the Ghanaian netted 12 times and recorded five assists, and he was unable to match his Swansea or Marseille form.

After his second stint in Wales, Ayew would turn out for the likes of Fenerbahce, Al-Sadd, Nottingham Forest and Le Havre, before joining NEC Breda in January 2026.

9. Nayef Aguerd – €23m (to Marseille, 2025)

West Ham paid a whopping €35m to sign Stade Rennais centre-back Nayef Aguerd in 2022 and after returning from an ankle injury, the Morocco defender put together a thoroughly impressive second-half to his debut campaign at the club.

However, injuries continue to hamper his progress in his second season and he was sent on loan to Real Sociedad in 2024.

After returning from Spain, Aguerd moved back to Ligue 1 with Marseille, who paid €23m to acquire his services.

8. Marko Arnautovic – €25m (to Shanghai Port, 2019)

Marko Arnautovic didn’t enjoy a great start to life at West Ham as David Moyes said that the attacker had to work harder or face being dropped. He quickly took notice, however.

The Austrian scored 11 Premier League goals in his first season at the club and was named as Hammer of the Year for the 2017–18 season.

After West Ham rejected an initial bid from the Chinese Super League, he was eventually sold to Shanghai Port for €25m in 2019.

7. Rio Ferdinand – €26m (to Leeds, 2000)

Rio Ferdinand made his name at West Ham and he was among their collection of young English talent in the early noughties.

But, it was Leeds who took the plunge and spent a considerable amount to purchase the centre-back in 2000.

The Elland Road side spent a whopping €26m on Ferdinand, which was a British transfer record at the time and also made the England international the most expensive defender in the world.

Manchester United then broke that to bring him to Old Trafford in 2002, where he affirmed himself as a Premier League all-time great.

6. Gianluca Scamacca – €28m (to Atalanta, 2023)

Gianluca Scamacca was signed as a potential replacement for Michail Antonio, but the Italian simply didn’t suit David Moyes’ style of play.

After arriving from Genoa for €28.5m, West Ham were happy to sell him back to Serie A for a small loss just one year later.

Scamacca left the Hammers having scored eight goals in 27 appearances for the club. At Atalanta he helped them win a historic Europa League in his first season.

5. Carlos Tevez – €29m (to Man City, 2009)

Carlos Tevez joined West Ham alongside Argentina team-mate Javier Mascherano in a shock transfer deal saw West Ham receive a huge £5.5m fine by the FA after breaching rules over third-party ownership of players.

As a result, Tevez’s time at West Ham was short-lived – but his seven goals during his sole campaign at the club made him something of a cult hero among West Ham fans.

The Argentine then spent two years on loan at Man Utd before he joined Manchester City on a permanent deal in 2009.

4. Dimitri Payet – €29.3m (to Marseille, 2017)

Dimitri Payet won the Premier League Player of the Year at the 2016 London Football Awards after his inaugural year at West Ham following a sensational debut campaign with the club.

His flamboyant style, stunning free-kicks and dribbling ability won over the affection of the West Ham fanbase, but things took a turn when manager Slaven Bilic announced that Payet no longer wanted to play for the club.

After two seasons with the Hammers, the Frenchman re-joined Marseille for almost double the amount West Ham paid to sign him in 2015.

3. Lucas Paqueta – €42m (to Flamengo, 2026)

Lucas Paqueta was a marquee signing when he arrived at West Ham in 2022, but his career in east London was underpinned by a betting scandal that saw him investigated for two years.

The Brazil star was eventually cleared of spot-fixing charges, however the controversy ended Paqueta’s chances of completing a proposed move to Man City, despite the desire of Pep Guardiola’s side to finalise a deal.

After rumoured interest from Aston Villa in 2025, Paqueta eventually returned to former club Flamengo for a fee of €42m in January 2026.

2. Mohammed Kudus – €63.8m (to Tottenham, 2025)

Mohammed Kudus became the first West Ham player to join rivals Tottenham since Scott Parker in 2011 when he completed a €63.8m transfer in the summer of 2025.

The Ghana forward had been a standout performer across his two-year stint in east London and he opted to join Spurs following reported interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Kudus scored 19 goals in 80 games for West Ham and the Hammers turned a tidy profit on the winger after purchasing him from Ajax for €43m in 2023.

1. Declan Rice – €116.6m (to Arsenal, 2023)

Declan Rice absolutely shattered the aforementioned Payet’s record as West Ham’s most expensive sale when he moved to Arsenal in July 2023 for a then-British record fee.

Rice broke into the West Ham first-team in 2017 and he went on to play 245 matches for the club, earning England honours along the way.

He will be remembered as a Hammers great, in part thanks to the role he had as David Moyes’ side won the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2023.

The 10 biggest West Ham sales of all time