In the current transfer market, players cost more than they have ever been valued at before, with even the so-called smaller clubs paying large fees for quality.
With that has come some outrageous transfer fees, some of which have worked out, whilst others have been placed into the flop category. We're talking Virgil van Dijk vs Harry Maguire here. Erling Haaland vs Darwin Nunez. Some prices are just never justified.
The price of quality, and the assurance of certain achievements with that quality costs a hefty price these days, however, with some clubs able to keep up a lot more than others.
With that said, Football FanCast has revealed the most valuable players by position in 2023.
4 GK: Diogo Costa (£38.83m)
Not to be mixed up with the former Chelsea forward Diego Costa – although, we're sure he could do a job in between the sticks – Diogo Costa had an excellent season for Porto in the last campaign, and rightly sits top of the most valuable goalkeepers.
According to Transfermarkt, the 23-year-old is currently worth a whopping €45m (£38.83m), sitting ahead of the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Mike Maignan, Thibaut Courtois, and Aaron Ramsdale.
3 Defender: Ruben Dias (£69m)
It's no real surprise that treble-winning Ruben Dias sits top of this list, having enjoyed a historic season at Manchester City. The only real shock is that the central defender isn't currently valued higher – especially when you consider former Man Utd star Rio Ferdinand recently claimed he'd be worth £170m in the current market.
As of right now, as per Transfermarkt, Dias is worth €80m (£69m). Though, it must be said that a transfer away from City is unlikely to happen, meaning that we'll never truly know how much he will cost a potential suitor in the current market.
He sits above Josko Gvardiol, Matthijs de Ligt, Ronald Araujo and Alphonso Davies.
2 Midfielder: Jude Bellingham (£103.53m)
Having just completed a move to Real Madrid for €103m (£88m), it's no real surprise that Jude Bellingham is the world's most expensive midfielder.
According to Transfermarkt, the former Borussia Dortmund man is worth €120m (£103.53m), with his valuation instantly increasing upon making the move to the Spanish giants this summer.
Bellingham is undoubtedly one of the best players in world football. The rest of the top five is Jamal Musiala, Pedri, Federico Valverde, and Gavi.
1 ST: Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe (£155.3m)
Goals galore – 52, to be exact – and records left in his wake, the treble-winning Erling Haaland is one of, if not the best player in the world of football right now.
He was a revelation for Manchester City last season, and his current valuation reflects that. But, in a similar fashion to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo over past seasons, he is forced to share the crown with Kylian Mbappe.
According to Transfermarkt, Haaland and Mbappe are currently worth €180m (£155.3m). It could just be the start of their battle to see who comes out on top as this generation's standout player. The next Ballon d'Or rankings will certainly be interesting.
Following those two, the next three are Vinicius Junior, Bukayo Saka, and Victor Osimhen.