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.

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9Inter 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.

8Benfica – £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.