Every transfer window, we see more than our fair share of $100 million+ deals. The biggest teams in Europe do everything in their power to get an upper hand over their rivals, which includes paying obscene money to sign up-and-coming talents.
Some clubs have benefitted from this mega shift in recruitment, generating millions by selling their players to the highest bidders. Today, we will take a look at some clubs that have earned handsomely by selling their players to deep-pocketed outfits, and check out how the moves have worked out. Here are the five most profit-generating transfers in the history of soccer:
Data: Transfermarkt
#5 Jack Grealish — Aston Villa To Manchester City — €117.5 million ($125.82 million)
Jack Grealish spent 19 years, between 2002 and 2021, contractually tied to Premier League side Aston Villa. He played 213 games for the Villans’ senior team in all competitions, scoring 32 times and providing 41 assists, emerging as one of the best players in the division. Convinced by his talents, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City agreed to pay a whopping €117.5 million ($125.82 million) for his services, breaking a Premier League record.
Grealish did wonders to Villa’s finances, helping them build a team and emerge as genuine top-four contenders. He, however, has not yet had the impact everyone pegged him to have at Manchester City. After a drab debut campaign, he did play a significant part in helping City win the Treble in the 2022-23 season. However, he has not been able to establish himself as a regular in Guardiola’s best XI. The England international has so far played 120 games for the Cityzens in all competitions, scoring 14 times and claiming 18 assists.
#4 Philippe Coutinho — Liverpool To Barcelona — €122 million ($130.64 million)
In January 2013, Premier League giants Liverpool signed up-and-coming Brazilian attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan, paying a mere €13 million ($13.92 million) for his services. Over the next five years, Coutinho played 201 games for the Merseysiders, scoring 54 times and providing 45 assists. La Liga giants Barcelona were convinced by his performances and signed him for €135 million ($144.56 million) in January 2018, adding €122 million ($130.64 million) to Liverpool’s coffers.
The switch to Barcelona had a lot of promise, but all of it fell flat, as injuries and poor form kept Coutinho from capturing his best form. After one-and-a-half season at Camp Nou, Coutinho joined Bayern Munich on loan, where he scored twice in Bayern’s 8-2 drubbing of Barca in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Following another loan spell at Aston Villa, Coutinho returned to England permanently in July 2022, with Barca accepting a mere €18 million ($19.27 million) bid for him.
#3 Joao Felix — Benfica To Atletico Madrid — €127.2 million ($136.21 million)
Portuguese side Benfica have a penchant for nurturing world-class talents and shipping them off for eye-popping money. In July 2019 came their biggest-ever sale, as they accepted a massive €127.2 million ($136.21 million) bid from Atletico Madrid for their academy graduate Joao Felix.
The Portugal international joined the Spanish side with a big reputation and a record price tag. However, Atletico Madrid fans never got the opportunity to see him in full flow. After only impressing in bits and pieces at Atletico and reportedly falling out with manager Diego Simeone, Felix joined Barcelona on a season-long loan last summer, with no purchase clause attached to the contract. The player hopes to make his stay permanent, but Los Rojiblancos may not sell him for cheap, especially not to a direct rival.
Felix, 24, has so far played 131 matches for Atletico, scoring 34 times and providing 18 assists.
#2 Neymar — From Barcelona To PSG — €134 million ($143.49 million)
Barcelona have done some mega deals over the years, but none has generated more profit than Neymar’s transfer to PSG in the summer of 2017. The Parisians activated the €222 million ($237.72 million) release clause in the Brazilian’s contract with Barcelona. The Blaugrana, who signed Neymar from Santos for €88 million ($94.23 million), had to greenlight the transfer, which led to a healthy €134 million ($143.49 million) profit.
Neymar’s move to PSG was not as grand a success as many had hoped. He spent a lot of time on the sidelines and failed to take them to UEFA Champions League glory. After scoring 118 times and providing 77 assists in 173 matches for the club in all competitions, he left for Al-Hilal in the summer of 2023. The Brazil international won five Ligue 1 titles during his stay in Paris.
#1 Kylian Mbappe — AS Monaco To PSG — €180 million ($192.75 million)
In July 2013, Kylian Mbappe joined AS Monaco’s youth team from Clairefontaine Yth. as a free agent. Over the following years, he developed into a sensational forward and sealed a move to PSG in the summer of 2017. Having signed Neymar for a world-record fee in the same window, PSG could only sign Mbappe on loan. The deal, however, included an obligation to buy for a mammoth €180 million ($192.75 million), which automatically came into play the following summer. Since Mbappe came through Monaco’s academy, the Ligue 1 side could add the entire transfer amount to the profit column.
Mbappe, who is set to join Real Madrid as a free agent in July, has enjoyed a fruitful stay at the Parc des Princes. Over the last seven years, he has scored a club record 251 goals in 301 appearances, helping them to five Ligue 1 titles and three French Cups, amongst other honors.
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