Chelsea's 10 biggest sales of all time

17 Sept 2026 13:35 BST |
6 min read

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Chelsea became a spending juggernaut when the club was purchased by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2003 and their huge level of investment has only continued under the new Clearlake Capital ownership group.

However, in order to fund this spending, Chelsea have also made some major sales over the past two decades, becoming one of the best teams in the world at selling players for profit in the process.

In fact, they are now arguably the best club in the entirety of world football at selling, with a host of stars departing for lofty fees in 2026.

Below, FootballTransfers lists Chelsea’s 10 biggest sales of all time.

10. Marc Cucurella – €55m (to Real Madrid, 2026)

After a hugely underwhelming first season at Chelsea, Marc Cucurella bounced back and established himself as one of Europe’s best left-backs after an eye-catching Euro 2024.

He played a pivotal role as Chelsea won the Club World Cup in 2025, but the Blues were unable to convince him to stay and they accepted a €55m offer from Real Madrid before Spain’s first game of the 2026 World Cup.

Cucurella became the most expensive defender to ever leave Chelsea in the process.

9. Nicolas Jackson – €55.5m (to Aston Villa, 2026)

Nicolas Jackson was a much-maligned figure at Chelsea, but he was the club’s first-choice striker before a bust-up with Enzo Maresca during the aforementioned Club World Cup triumph.

After failing to sell him in 2025, Chelsea accepted a loan offer from Bayern Munich, before finally offloading him on a permanent deal the following year.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was desperate to reunite with his former Villarreal pupil and a €55.5m deal was soon finalised, with Jackson leaving having scored a respectable tally of 30 goals in 81 games for Chelsea.

8. Noni Madueke – €56m (to Arsenal, 2025)

Noni Madueke arrived at Chelsea from PSV as a hot prospect, and although he never quite lived up to that billing, the Blues managed to make a healthy profit on the €35m they paid for him.

Madueke showed flashes of brilliance during his time at Stamford Bridge but he ultimately proved too inconsistent in front of goal to win regular football under Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea will feel like winners out of the move thanks to a healthy profit from a player who scored 20 goals in 92 outings.

7. Andrey Santos – €56.3m (to Man Utd, 2026)

Andrey Santos struggled to force his way into Chelsea’s preferred starting XI after returning from a successful loan spell at Strasbourg, with Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez firmly ahead of him in the pecking order.

As a result, he opted to explore an exit when the 2026 summer transfer window opened and he soon became Man Utd’s first permanent signing of the Michael Carrick era after Chelsea accepted a €56.3m offer.

He left Chelsea having played just 47 first-team games for the club, and the Blues earned a tidy profit after signing him for just €12.5m

6. Oscar – €60m (to Shanghai Port, 2017)

When the Chinese Super League suddenly started spending outlandish amounts on transfers and wages, a €60m offer for Brazil international Oscar was one Chelsea simply couldn’t turn down.

Despite his fan’s favourite status at Stamford Bridge, he had already fallen out of favour under Antonio Conte at the time, so this sale must go down as one of the best in Premier League history.

Oscar won the Chinese Super League in 2018 and made himself extremely wealthy due to his eye-watering salary in Asia.

5. Diego Costa – €60m (to Atletico Madrid, 2017)

Diego Costa was viewed as the eventual replacement for Didier Drogba at Chelsea after a number of others had tried and failed at the task.

The Brazil-born Spain international was excellent during his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge and helped the club to two English top flight titles in 2015 and 2017, netting 20 league goals in each campaign.

After a failed move to the Chinese Super League, though, Costa fell out with then-manager Conte and was eventually sold for a profit back to Atletico Madrid.

4. Mason Mount – €67.7m (to Man Utd, 2023)

Man Utd beat Liverpool to the signing of Chelsea fan favourite Mason Mount during the summer of 2023 for a crazy fee of €67.7m, despite the fact he had just one year remaining on his contract at Stamford Bridge.

Mount had spent 18 years at Stamford Bridge, coming through the youth system before breaking into the first-team, and he played a crucial role as the club won the 2021 Champions League under Thomas Tuchel.

However, things turned sour in his final campaign and he opted to ditch Chelsea for Man Utd, the club his father supports.

3. Kai Havertz – €75m (to Arsenal, 2023)

Kai Havertz is a player who will ultimately go down as a Chelsea flop, despite the fact he scored the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final.

Shoehorned into an unfamiliar striker position, Havertz failed to replicate the form that had once made him the Bundesliga’s biggest wonderkid and he departed for Arsenal after three years at Stamford Bridge.

The Germany attacker ended his Chelsea career with 32 goals in 132 matches.

2. Eden Hazard – €115m (to Real Madrid, 2019)

Eden Hazard became the most expensive player in Real Madrid’s history and the most expensive Chelsea sale ever when Los Blancos purchased the Belgian for €115m in 2019.

Hazard guided the Blues to Europa League glory in his final appearance, and he left as a club legend, having scored 110 goals and won six major trophies during an illustrious nine-year spell at Stamford Bridge.

After an injury-hit spell at Real Madrid, Hazard retired from football in 2023 after his contract with Los Blancos expired.

1. Enzo Fernandez – €145m (to Man City, 2026)

Enzo Fernandez usurped Hazard as Chelsea’s biggest sale when he equalled the British transfer record of €145m by joining Manchester City on Transfer Deadline Day in 2026.

The Argentina midfielder had played a pivotal role at Stamford Bridge throughout a three-and-a-half year spell at the club, but he pushed to reunite with former boss Enzo Maresca following Chelsea’s failure to qualify for Europe.

Following weeks of negotiations, Fernandez finally joined City on the final day of the 2026 summer window, and he left Chelsea after making 170 appearances for the club.

The 10 biggest Chelsea sales of all time

Player	To	Fee	Year
1. Enzo Fernandez	Man City	€145m	2026
2. Eden Hazard	Real Madrid	€115m	2019
3. Kai Havertz	Arsenal	€75m	2023
4. Mason Mount	Man Utd	€67.7m	2023
5. Diego Costa	Atletico Madrid	€60m	2018
6. Oscar	Shanghai Port	€60m	2017
7. Andrey Santos	Chelsea	€56.3m	2026
8. Noni Madueke	Arsenal	€56m	2025
9. Nicolas Jackson	Aston Villa	€55.5m	2026
10. Marc Cucurella	Real Madrid	€55m	2026

Cameron Smith is a Digital Content Producer for FootballTransfers, having joined the team upon its inception in November 2020.

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