Most expensive USMNT players: Highest transfer fee for American soccer stars as Malik Tillman move ranks second

Over the past decade, American soccer players have enjoyed exponential growth in global perception, gaining a foothold in European club football.

As more U.S. internationals make their way to play for clubs overseas, the investment in American players has increased to match the upward trajectory.

Led by the likes of Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, and Weston McKennie as part of the USMNT "golden generation," there has been a massive increase in development and proliferation of American internationals at European clubs.

The Sporting News looks at the American internationals who have garnered the most sizable transfer fees in club football history, with nearly all of them happening in recent years.

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Highest transfer fees for American soccer players in history

The most expensive American player to date is Christian Pulisic, whose move from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea shattered the previous record.

He leads a Top 10 list that reflects the recent growth of American players in Europe, as every transfer below Pulisic's 2019 move is from the summer of 2021 or later.

While reports on fees can sometimes vary a bit, most numbers eventually become uniform once the dust has settled on a particular transfer. For all deals with significant add-ons that cloud the waters on a particular number, such as Weston McKennie's deal to join Juventus or Yunus Musah's move to AC Milan, the Transfermarkt number is listed.

* Yet to be officially confirmed

Christian Pulisic's record-breaking move to Chelsea

Midway through the 2018/19 season, Christian Pulisic shattered the American transfer record when he secured a permanent move to Chelsea from his German club Borussia Dortmund.

In a transfer worth over $70 million, Pulisic became the most expensive USMNT player by a sizable margin, remaining at Dortmund for the rest of the season on loan before heading to England in the summer.

Pulisic became a highly decorated player at Chelsea and was the first American to win the Champions League in the 2020/21. He made 145 appearances for the Blues, scoring 26 goals and assisting 21 more, before leaving to play for AC Milan in a deal that also secured a place on the Top 10 list. 

Prior to Pulisic's move, the most expensive transfer for an American player was a move for defender John Brooks from Hertha Berlin to Wolfsburg in the summer of 2017 for just under $20 million.

Malik Tillman becomes second-highest American transfer

According to several reports, including transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, Malik Tillman is set to seal a move to Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth nearly $50 million.

Tillman is the German club's response to losing Florian Wirtz, who secured a switch earlier this summer to Liverpool for a massive fee over $100 million.

The transfer is high praise for Tillman, who has been extremely productive for Dutch club PSV. While he has pushed through a few injury absences, when on the field the 23-year-old has been exceptional, scoring 25 goals and assisting 19 more in 73 games for the side en route to two straight Eredivisie titles.

This move is the next step in Tillman's continued growth, which began in the Bayern Munich youth academy. He enjoyed a successful year-long loan at Rangers before moving to PSV permanently for $14 million last summer.