Image source, Getty ImagesPremier League clubs are usually associated with spending heavily in the transfer market, but this summer several have been making as much noise through their sales.
Aston Villa, Manchester City and Newcastle United have already moved into the all-time top six for transfer income generated in a single window, with Monaco’s 360m euros haul from 2018-19 now within reach.
Monaco’s record was built around several major departures, most notably Kylian Mbappe’s 180m euros move to Paris St-Germain, while Thomas Lemar joined Atletico Madrid for 72m euros and Fabinho moved to Liverpool for 45m euros.
On 26 August, according to Transfermarkt, which lists transfer fees in euros, Villa have brought in 293.1m euros (£251m) from departures this summer, City 278.6m euros and Newcastle 275.5m euros.
Only Monaco, Chelsea‘s 321m euros in 2025-26 and Atletico Madrid’s 314m euros in 2019-20 currently sit above them.
And with several days of the window still remaining, the record could yet fall.
Villa lead the race, but at a cost
Villa are currently closest to Monaco with Morgan Rogers’ £117m (138m euros) move to Chelsea accounting for a significant chunk of their total. Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne were also among those to leave.
Their summer trading has also left them with the strongest positive transfer balance in the Premier League.
Villa have spent 160.5m euros, which leaves them 132.6m euros in profit on transfer dealings. That activity comes against a backdrop of financial pressure.
In June, Villa were fined 22.5m euros by Uefa for a significant breach of its squad-cost rule for 2025, with 15m euros of that amount suspended on the condition that the club continued to reduce its squad-cost ratio during 2026.
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The impact of losing several senior players was evident on the opening weekend, when Unai Emery’s side suffered a 4-0 defeat by Brighton.
Speaking afterwards, Gary Neville said Villa looked as though they had had their “heart ripped out”, pointing to the experience lost through the departures of Rogers, Tielemans and Konsa.
Villa could yet move even closer to the record.
Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal have made several attempts to sign Ollie Watkins, with Villa reportedly rejecting an offer worth around 52m euros. Emery has already acknowledged that the England striker could leave, although the two clubs remain apart on valuation.
Man City could yet overtake them
Manchester City‘s position has shifted following Wednesday’s signing of Ayyoub Bouaddi. They have generated 278.5m euros from sales so far, with the departures of players including Savio, Tijjani Reijnders, Rodri, James Trafford, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake.
Bouaddi’s arrival takes City’s spending to 273.7m euros, leaving them with a positive transfer balance of 4.8m euros.
Further departures could quickly change the picture again. Tottenham have agreed a loan deal to sign Omar Marmoush, with an obligation to make the move permanent for £60m (58m euros) next summer. That fee would therefore count towards City’s 2027-28 transfer income rather than this season’s figures.
Nico Gonzalez is also expected to leave, while Jack Grealish could yet be another departure before the deadline. Grealish spent last season on loan at Everton, who remain interested, although the winger has viewed Enzo Maresca replacing Pep Guardiola as manager as a fresh start at City. His contract runs until June 2027.
A permanent sale of Gonzalez, and possibly Grealish, could still significantly increase City’s 2026-27 income.
Their ability to sell at such a level is particularly significant given the scale of their midfield rebuild. City have already signed Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for 135m euros. They also remain interested in Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
Newcastle’s three-sale windfall
Newcastle have reached 275.5m euros in sales with the bulk of that coming from three major departures.
Sandro Tonali joined Tottenham for 108m euros, Bruno Guimaraes moved to Arsenal for 87.5m euros and Anthony Gordon signed for Barcelona for 80m euros.
Together, those deals have transformed Newcastle‘s summer balance sheet.
They have spent 197m euros, which leaves them 78.5m euros in profit.
Only Villa and Nottingham Forest currently have a larger positive transfer balance among Premier League clubs.
Six Premier League clubs are currently in transfer profit
The volume of sales across the division is reflected in the wider transfer balances.
Six Premier League clubs currently have a positive balance, according to Transfermarkt:
Brighton continue to set trading benchmark
Brighton‘s sales figures illustrate a different approach.
Over the past five seasons, Brighton have spent 665.4m euros on players and received 715.4m euros in transfer fees, leaving them with a positive transfer balance of about 50m euros.
According to Transfermarkt, they are the only current Premier League club to have made a cumulative transfer profit across that five-season period. Aston Villa are the next closest to break-even, with an overall balance of -10.02m euros.
That underlines how consistently Brighton have combined significant player sales with reinvestment, rather than relying on one unusually profitable window.
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