Ever since Sheikh Mansour took over at the Etihad Stadium, the club has splashed the cash on some of the world's best footballers
Manchester City have been the most successful club in England for the past decade thanks in no small part to their willingness to spend significant sums of money on top players.
Indeed, Sheikh Mansour was determined to transform the club into one of the biggest on the planet from the moment he took over in 2008 and a deadline-day move for Real Madrid's Robinho signalled the dawn of a new era at City.
However, after constant speculation linking City with established superstars such as Kaka and Gigi Buffon, the Abu Dhabi-based owners actually adopted a more careful and considered approach to the transfer market, focusing their attention on players of great potential specifically suited to a certain style of play.
Of course, that still meant splashing the cash and City have spent more than £1.5 billion (£1.8m) since Mansour arrived in Manchester and not every deal worked out well.
Below, GOAL takes a look at the 10 most expensive signings in the club's history…
Manchester City top 10 most expensive transfersGetty Images10Raheem Sterling | £49m | Liverpool | 2015
There were plenty of people that insisted City had overspent on Sterling when they plucked the 20-year-old from Liverpool in an acrimonious transfer in 2015.
“If he moves to City say, is he ready to be judged as a £50m player? No, I don’t think so… I’d tell him it’s not the right thing to do at this stage," former Reds winger John Barnes said at the time.
Seven years on, there can be no argument that he was more than ready, with Sterling having played a big role in four Premier League triumphs.
And City could yet net a full return on their money, with a summer move to Chelsea likely to recuperate all or most of that initial outlay, making Sterling one of the most successful signings in the club's history.
AdvertisementGetty Images9Erling Haaland | £51m | Dortmund | 2022
Yet to kick a ball for the club, but the Norwegian international still seems like an incredible bargain, even when additional fees are factored in.
Every big club in Europe were chasing the striker, helped by the release clause in his contract with Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.
That City were able to win the race for Haaland's signature was a major coup and underlines their arrival at the very top of the game.
Thanks to his incredible goal record, Haaland is considered a potential Ballon d'Or winner and fans can't wait to see how he develops under Pep Guardiola.
Marca.com8Benjamin Mendy | £52m | Monaco | 2017
On the pitch, Mendy has been City's least effective big money signing.
A ruptured anterior cruciate ligament ended the French international's first season following his arrival from Monaco in 2017.
More significant have been events away from football, though, with Mendy having been suspended by the club for a year.
He will go on trial in August after pleading not guilty to nine counts of sexual offences, including seven alleged rapes, against six women.
Getty Images7Kevin De Bruyne | £54m | Wolfsburg | 2015
'The £60m reject' is how City's pursuit of the former Chelsea midfielder was described in one English tabloid.
While his time at Stamford Bridge was brief and unspectacular, City knew exactly what they were doing when they brought him back to England from Wolfsburg in 2015.
De Bruyne has simply been one of the most outstanding performers ever since, lighting up the Premier League and becoming the embodiment of Guardiola's scintillating football.
He has been the main player in City's most successful period, underlined by the list of personal honours that have gone his way, including twice being named Premier League Player of the Season and PFA Player of the Year.