SOCCER
Barcelona and Chelsea financial black hole, while Lille cash in
January 25, 2024 - Debt-ridden Barcelona and nouveau riche Chelsea have lost the most money through player transfers in world football since 2014, according to research group CIES Football Observatory.
Related Graphics
View More
Sir Jim Ratcliffe completes $1.6bn Manchester United deal
Women’s sports revenue to top $1bn
Arsenal complete £105m Rice signing
Forbes: World’s highest paid athletes
Premier League clubs hit January sales
Manchester United transfer turmoil
Consortium led by Todd Boehly completes Chelsea sale
Abramovich sanctions halt Chelsea sale
Rise of sports new order
Barcelona president reveals debts of €1.35bn
£100m Grealish breaks British transfer record
La Liga heayweights Barcelona generated the highest loss of €631m, in terms of balances for non-academy players signed and transferred between 2014-23. Factors include failed acquisitions of Philippe Coutinho -- bought for €135m from Liverpool in 2018, before selling to Aston Villa in 2022 for just €20m -- and Ousmane Dembele.
While LOSC Lille gained €386m in transfer profits following the sales of players such as Victor Osimhen, bought for €22.4m in 2019, before Napoli swooped for the striker just one year later in €75m deal.