Ross McCormack and the 10 biggest Championship signings ever

Ross McCormack has become the most expensive player in Championship history with his move from Fulham to Aston Villa.

Villa have initially paid a £12m fee, but McCormack could end up costing as much as £14m, which would see him trump Newcastle's Matt Ritchie as the Championship's biggest ever signing.

The deal continues a trend of big spending in the division over recent years, with the relegated Premier League clubs using the increased parachute payments to strengthen their chances of returning to the top-flight.

Here we take a look at the most expensive signings made by clubs playing in the Championship (they are classed as a Championship club if their first league game after the signing is in the second tier):

1. Ross McCormack - Aston Villa 2016 - £12m (rising to £14m)

Villa have been persuaded to stump up the cash by McCormack's form at Fulham. The striker moved to Craven Cottage for a huge fee in 2014, but excelled at a club in turmoil and his 21 goals last season trailed only Andre Gray in the division's scoring charts.

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2. Matt Ritchie - Newcastle 2016 - £12m

The Bournemouth midfielder is Newcastle's biggest signing of the transfer window so far, giving up Premier League football with the Cherries for a starring role at Rafa Benitez's new-look Magpies.

3. Ross McCormack - Fulham 2014 - £11m 

The striker set a Championship transfer record back in 2014 when Fulham stumped up £11m. The Scotland international's career had taken off in the previous season, with the striker scoring 28 goals for Leeds United.

4. Dwight Gayle - Newcastle 2016 - £10m 

Crystal Palace's willingness to let Gayle leave has seen Newcastle snap up the hard-working forward for their Championship campaign. Gayle's energy and versatility should be well-suited to Rafa Benitez's style.

5. Jordan Rhodes - Middlesbrough 2016 - £9m

Scottish striker Rhodes was in such scintillating form for Blackburn that Boro couldn't wait to snap up the striker in January 2016 in a deal that boosted their promotion hopes.

5=. Andre Gray - Burnley 2015 - £9m

The Brentford striker's hot streak was enough to convince Burnley to wrap up a deal for him last summer, and the move worked out brilliantly, with Gray scoring 23 goals to fire the Clarets to the Championship title.

7.  Alex Pritchard - Norwich 2016, £8m (rising to £9m)

The Spurs winger appeared to be on the verge of joining Brighton in August 2016, before the Canaries came in with a late bid to steal the 23-year-old from under Chris Hughton's nose.

8. Jordan Rhodes - Blackburn 2012 - £8m 

An astonishing 2011-12 campaign from Rhodes at Huddersfield saw him score 37 goals and attract the interest of Blackburn, who snapped up the striker just two games into the following season. He hit the ground running at Rovers and never looked back, breaking past 20 goals in all three seasons at the club.

9. Bradley Johnson - Derby 2015 - £6m 

Derby wanted Premier League quality and that's what they got in the shape of Johnson, who featured regularly in midfield for the Rams last season.

10. Stewart Downing - Middlesbrough 2015 - £5.5m

Downing's career was on a downward spiral so he took the best option and returned to his hometown club, where he has helped steer Boro back to the Premier League.