A successful transfer and recruitment strategy often leads directly to successful results on the pitch. And now more than ever, with financial fair play and the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, getting good value for money is key. Over the past couple of decades, the transfer fees for players have snowballed drastically with several millions changing hands for the top talents. Some clubs have been superb at wheeling and dealing and getting maximum profit for players, whilst bringing in stars on the cheap. For other clubs, there have been some financial disasters.
With all this in mind, here at Transfermarkt we have calculated a list of the biggest profits clubs have made on single players of all time. We haven’t included players that were brought in on free transfers or academy products which would count as pure profit. Some incredible players and some historic transfer deals crop up on the list.
The Biggest Profits Made by Players
Leading the way for the biggest profit a club has made on a single deal, is the all-time most expensive transfer. Back in 2017, Brazilian star Neymar left Barcelona for PSG for €222 million in one of the most historic transfers we have ever seen. Barcelona had brought him in for €88m from Santos four years before, which was their record transfer at the time, but the lucrative sale meant they made a profit of €134m on the deal. Neymar was a star in Catalonia, but the infamous deal started a merry-go-round and led to some very tidy profits for other clubs too.
The second biggest profit went to Liverpool selling Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona the following January in 2018 for €135m. The Reds had brought the Brazilian to Anfield for just €13m five years prior, leading to a profit of €122m. Third is Borussia Dortmund’s sale of Ousmane Démbéle to Barca for €135m that same summer of Neymar’s departure. The German side had paid €35m for him meaning they gained €100m of profit. Another Barcelona signing is incoming in fourth – Atlético Madrid’s €120m deal to sell Antoine Griezmann to the Catalonian club in 2019 gaining €90m of profit. Four slightly interlinked deals make up the top four.
In fifth is Moisés Caicedo going from Brighton to Chelsea for €116m last summer leading to €87.8m of profit. Then sixth goes to Tottenham’s sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid back in 2013 – the €101m fee represented a profit of €86.3m. He’s followed by Eden Hazard making the move from Chelsea to Real Madrid in 2019 for €120.8m – €85.8m of profit. Then it’s Dušan Vlahović’s €83.5m from Fiorentina to Juventus in 2022 representing €80.3m of profit. In ninth is Antony’s €95m move from Ajax to Manchester United last summer which made the Dutch side €79.3m in profit. Completing the top 10 is Enzo Fernández’s move from Benfica to Chelsea in January 2023 for €121m – €76.8m of profit.
Sourced from; Transfermarkt.com
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