Manchester City have earned millions by selling players over the years and here are the most expensive transfer sales they’ve ever made.
Though Manchester City have made countless big-money transfers and are one of the biggest spenders in world football, they also raise a lot of funds as well.
Thanks to selling off talented academy graduates who haven’t even played for the club and picking the right time to move on legends and crucial first-teamers, City have often been able to strengthen Pep Guardiola’s squad without dipping deep into Sheik Mansour’s limitless pockets in recent years.
In the summer of 2024 alone, City sold six players for a combined £132m and only spent £21m of it on Savinho, making a profit of £111m.
City are canny operators in the transfer market and here are there top 17 sales ever.
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17 – James Trafford – £19m
James Trafford was sold by Manchester City to Burnley in 2023 for £19m.
- Manchester City appearances: 0
- Bought for: £0
- Profit/Loss: +£19m
16 – Taylor Harwood-Bellis – £20m
Taylor Harwood-Bellis completed a permanent move to Southampton for £20m in 2024 after helping them win promotion to the Premier League while on loan.
- Manchester City appearances: 8
- Bought for: £0
- Profit/Loss: +£20m
15 – Shaun Wright-Phillips – £21m
Shaun Wright-Phillips was sold by Manchester City to Chelsea in 2005 for £21m.
- Manchester City appearances: 274 (over two spells)
- Bought for: £0
- Profit/Loss: +£21m
14 – Joao Cancelo – £21.2m
Joao Cancelo was sold to Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal for £21.2 after 18 months out on loan in the summer of 2024.
- Manchester City appearances: 154
- Bought for: £60m
- Profit/Loss: -£39.8m
13 – Mario Balotelli – £19m (rising to £22m)
Mario Balotelli was sold to AC Milan for £19m, rising to a potential £22m, in January 2013.
- Manchester City appearances: 80
- Bought for: £22.5m
- Profit/Loss: -£500k
12 – Aymeric Laporte – £23.6m
Aymeric Laporte was sold to Al-Nassr by Manchester City in August 2023 for £23.6m.
- Manchester City appearances:
- Bought for: £57m
- Profit/Loss: -£33.4m
11 – Alvaro Negredo – £23.8m
Alvaro Negredo was sold to Valencia in July 2015 for £23.8m after spending time on loan there the previous season.
- Manchester City appearances: 49
- Bought for: £16.4m
- Profit/Loss: +£7.4m
10 – Kelechi Iheanacho – £25m
Kelechi Iheanacho was sold by Manchester City to Leicester City in August 2017 for £25m.
- Manchester City appearances: 64
- Bought for: £250k
- Profit/Loss: +£24.5m
9 – Riyad Mahrez – £30m
Riyad Mahrez was sold by Manchester City to Al Ahli in July 2023 for £30m.
- Manchester City appearances: 236
- Bought for: £60m
- Profit/Loss: -£30m
8 – Aleks Zinchenko – £30m (rising to £32m)
Aleks Zinchenko was sold to Arsenal by Manchester City for £30m (rising to £32m) in July 2022.
- Manchester City appearances: 128
- Bought for: £1.7m
- Profit/Loss: +£30.3m
7 – Danilo – £34.1m
Danilo was sold to Juventus for £34.1m as part of the deal to sign Joao Cancelo in August 2019.
- Manchester City appearances: 60
- Bought for: £26.5m
- Profit/Loss: +£7.6m
6 – Cole Palmer – £40m (rising to £42.5m)
Cole Palmer was sold by Manchester City to Chelsea in September 2023 for an initial £40m rising to £42.5m.
- Manchester City appearances: 41
- Bought for: £0
- Profit/Loss: +£42.5m
5 – Leroy Sane – £44.7m (rising to £54.8m)
Leroy Sane was sold by Manchester City to Bayern Munich for £44.7m (rising to £54.8m) in July 2020.
- Manchester City appearances: 135
- Bought for: £42m
- Profit/Loss: +£12.8m
4 – Gabriel Jesus – £45m
Manchester City sold Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal in the summer of 2022 for £45m.
- Manchester City appearances: 236
- Bought for: £27m
- Profit/Loss: +£18m
3 – Ferran Torres – £46.3m (rising to £54.7m)
Ferran Torres was sold by Manchester City for Barcelona in January 2022 for £46.3m, rising to £54.7m.
- Manchester City appearances: 43
- Bought for: £20.8m
- Profit/Loss: +£33.9m
2- Raheem Sterling – £47.5m (rising to £50m)
Manchester City sold Raheem Sterling to Chelsea for £47.5m, rising to £50m, in July 2022.
- Manchester City appearances: 339
- Bought for: £49m
- Profit/Loss: +£500k
1 – Julian Alvarez – £64.6m (rising to £81.5m)
Julian Alvarez was sold by Manchester City to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2024 for a record sale fee of £64.6m, potentially rising to £81.5m.
- Manchester City appearances: 103
- Bought for: £14.1m
- Profit/Loss: +£50.5m (rising to +£67m)
