9 Clubs With The Highest Income in a Single Transfer Window (Ranked)

The transfer window remains one of the most chaotic times of the year for anyone within the football sphere. With moves taking place left, right and centre, you can never truly predict what is going to happen, as some of the best players in the world look for a change of environment.

In a sport driven by financial wealth, clubs have to be cautious to make sure they do not overspend. Due to this, they have to sell just as much as they buy, with some teams specifically developing players to sell them for a profit. It’s a clever tactic that can set up a side for years to come.

Ranked purely on the income they brought in, we have outlined the nine clubs that have generated the most money from player sales in a single transfer window. Stretching across Europe, it features some of the biggest clubs in the world — and it’s not surprising who is near the top considering their recent chaotic plan.

9 Inter Milan – £173m

2021

Inter Milan have been one of the most successful clubs in the world for decades. They know how to win, but in 2021, not everything was rosy for the giants. After winning the 2021 Serie A title with Antonio Conte, everyone was full of joy, but one of the greatest Italian managers of all time resigned over disagreements with the board.

This turned out to be due to the club’s transfer policy, as Inter were forced to sell several high-profile names to adhere to financial regulations. They sold top scorer Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea and world-class right-back Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain, which stopped them from winning the title the following season — finishing second instead.

8 Benfica – £174m

2019

In 2019, Benfica continued to showcase their expertise in selling players for substantial sums. Joao Felix, who was in the club’s academy for three years, was sold for a record-breaking fee to Atletico Madrid. He was one of the best teenagers in the world but had only made 31 starts in his senior career before moving for an eye-watering nine-figure fee. The playmaker has emphatically struggled to live up to the hype since.

It shows that Benfica were smart to maximise profits as much as possible, whilst they also sold Raul Jimenez to Wolves for £32m. Despite selling two of their best players, they still managed to finish second in the league that season.

7 Ajax – £181m

2022

Ajax have always had a conveyor belt of talent. Epitomising the sad state of affairs in modern football, most of their best stars go on to leave for a club in the Premier League. It’s where the money is — and, in 2022, that predictable and depressing scenario occurred once again. Antony left the Dutch giants to join Manchester United for £80m and this came after Lisandro Martinez also opted to make the switch to the Red Devils for £48m.

With star striker Sebastian Haller also leaving, they made a spectacular amount of profit, whilst, rather ironically, both Martinez and Antony have struggled at Old Trafford. They were smart to sell when they did.

6 Ajax – £182m

2019

We mentioned that Ajax always produce world-class youngsters — and that’s highlighted by the fact they feature on this list twice. In 2019, the Amsterdam outfit were still recovering from Champions League heartbreak as they were knocked out in the semi-finals due to Lucas Moura’s dramatic hat-trick for Tottenham Hotspur

Just a month on, life got a little harder as their two best players – Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt – opted to join Barcelona and Juventus respectively. For a combined £142m, it helped Ajax set themselves up for the future, and they even won the title once again in the following campaign.

5 Barcelona – £190m

2017

Unlike most on this list, Barcelona did not want to make this much money in the 2017 transfer window. In the season before, they had one of the greatest attacking trios of all time, with Neymar partnering Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez home and away. However, the Brazilian wanted to be in the main spotlight.

Paris Saint-Germain answered his wishes and signed him for a world record fee of £187m. It was his release clause at the time, which Barcelona never expected to be activated. It made up 99% of their income during that window, as Javier Mascherano and Cristian Tello also made minor moves elsewhere.

4 RB Leipzig – £204m

2023

RB Leipzig’s origin story is one of immense interest, even if it makes them one of the most hated clubs in the world. They have never won the Bundesliga, but continue to excel near the top. In the 2023 transfer window, they showcased their smart strategy by maximising the profit they could make on three of their best players.

Josko Gvardiol, one of the best defenders in the world, left for £75m to join Manchester City, Dominik Szoboszlai departed to Liverpool and Chelsea-bound Christopher Nkunku switched Germany for west London. RB Leipzig will never be a dream destination for players — and they’ve realised that with their plan.

3 Chelsea – £233m

2023

Chelsea have been a chaotic mess ever since Todd Boehly became the main owner of the club in 2022. To those on the outside, it has looked uncontrolled — and it’s easy to see why when you look at the high turnover ratio in the squad each window. In the summer of 2023, the Blues made several high-profile signings, including Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer.

However, they also sold extensively, with Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic all joining rival clubs. Even Kalidou Koulibaly, who joined the club a year prior, was forced out of Cobham, as he made the switch to Saudi Arabia in the process.

2 Atletico Madrid – £266m

2019

Atletico Madrid have always been the younger brother in the Spanish capital, with their main rivals – Real Madrid – taking the main spotlight. This was highlighted in the summer of 2019 when Antoine Griezmann, Lucas Hernandez and Rodri all departed in search of consistent success in the sport.

For Rodri, it’s worked out, with the Spaniard becoming one of the best midfielders in the world under Pep Guardiola’s leadership. Both Hernandez and Griezmann have had far less success, with the latter now back at Atletico Madrid. After an initial period of understandable unease, Griezmann won over the demanding Atleti crowd and has become the club’s all-time leading scorer.

1 Monaco – £307m

2018

Monaco have made the most money in a single transfer window in football history. In the previous two campaigns, Monaco were at their very best, winning the 2016/17 Ligue 1 title and reaching the Champions League semi-finals in the same year. However, that meant all their superstars went to ‘bigger clubs’.

In the 2018 window, Kylian Mbappe made his move to Paris Saint-Germain permanent after spending the previous campaign on loan there, whilst both Thomas Lemar and Fabinho secured high-profile moves to Atletico Madrid and Liverpool respectively. The Principality club invested the money well but are still waiting to return to those lofty heights.

Stats via Transfermarkt.