Report: Top 10 Chelsea’s biggest sale of all time
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Chelsea became a spending juggernaut in 2003 when the club was purchased by billionaire Roman Abramovich.
Since the ownership of the club changed nearly 20 years ago, the Blues have spent hundreds of millions on new players to keep the club competitive not just in the Premier League but in Europe, too.
But they have also made some massive sales and the club has become one of the best teams in the world at developing youngsters and selling them on for profit.
So, who are Chelsea’s biggest sales of all time?
10. Kurt Zouma – £30m (West Ham, 2021)
Chelsea made their most expensive ever purchase in 2021 with the signing of Romelu Lukaku from Inter for around £97m.
A big outlay, yes, but the Blues remarkably ended up in profit over the summer as they sold a few fringe players such as Kurt Zouma, who joined West Ham for £30m near deadline day.
Zouma was never a key player at Chelsea and with the emergence of Trevoh Chalobah, the club were more than happy to part ways with a player who would cause huge controversy off the pitch in his first season at West Ham.
9. Thibaut Courtois – £35m (Real Madrid, 2018)
Courtois’ time at Chelsea, though successful, was fairly odd as even when he finally became a member of the first team, he made it clear his preference was to remain at Atletico Madrid near to his family.
He won two Premier League titles and the FA Cup during his time at Chelsea and was initially a fan favourite due to his performances, which edged out Petr Cech in his spot as No.1.
However, it was eventually an acrimonious departure. Allegedly, he didn’t turn up for training the summer after the World Cup to force through a move to Real Madrid in 2018.
8. Juan Mata – £37m (Man Utd, 2014)
There was an element of panic about Man Utd’s purchase of Mata in January of 2014.
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Things were not going well under new manager David Moyes after he replaced legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Mata was brought in to provide some much-needed flair in attacking areas, but he was never able to hit the heights of his peak at Chelsea during his eight years at Old Trafford.
7. Tammy Abraham – £38m (Roma, 2021)
Tammy Abraham joined Chelsea as an eight-year-old and graduated through the youth ranks before debuting for the first team.
He was expected to become Chelsea’s long-term number nine after establishing himself under Frank Lampard.
However, the appointment of Thomas Tuchel in 2021 saw him fall down the pecking order and he was eventually sold to Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma in the summer of 2021.
6. Nemanja Matic – £40m (Man Utd, 2017)
Man Utd gave their Premier League rivals another pile of cash in 2017 when they bought Matic for £40m.
The Serbian was a favourite of Jose Mourinho during their time together at Chelsea and when the Man Utd boss at the time identified the need for a defensive midfielder he went with a player he knew well.
Nemanja Matic
Matic has been satisfactory during his time at Old Trafford but there is a sense that he simply does not offer enough in central areas.
A screen of the defence, yes, he has now lost his place in the team to Fred and Scott McTominay.
5. Alvaro Morata – £48.5m (Atletico Madrid, 2019)
Much like his performances at every club, Morata was hot and cold during his time at Chelsea, which wasn’t enough to keep him there for more than two years.
He was capable of moments of excellence but didn’t prove to be the goalscorer the Blues were looking for as he ended his career in London with 24 goals scored in 72 matches in all competitions.
Morata would eventually leave on loan to Atletico but the Spanish outfit had an obligation to purchase for £48.5m though there are some reports it could have been as much as £60m.
4. David Luiz – £50m (PSG, 2014)
In the summer of 2014 PSG broke the record transfer fee for a defender by purchasing David Luiz for £50m.
A talented player on his day, Luiz is certainly capable of a mistake or two and still is to this day, so the kind of money on offer was a no-brainer for Chelsea.
The Brazilian would eventually return to Stamford Bridge two years later as Chelsea signed him back for £16m cheaper than they sold him.
3. Diego Costa – £50m (Atletico Madrid, 2017)
Costa was viewed as the eventual replacement for Didier Drogba after a number of others had tried and failed at the task.
The Spain international was excellent in his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge and helped the club to two Premier League titles in 2015 and 2017.
He was especially good in 2016/17, when he scored 20 goals in 35 games in the league.
Diego Costa
After a failed move to the Chinese Super League, though, he would fall out with manager Antonio Conte and was eventually sold for a profit to Atletico.
2. Oscar – £60m (Shanghai SIPG, 2017)
When the Chinese Super League suddenly became willing to spend ludicrous amounts on transfers and wages, the offer of £60m to land Oscar from Chelsea was one the Blues simply could not turn down.
A good player at Stamford Bridge, yes, but Chelsea’s eyes certainly lit up when they received that particular offer.
He won the Chinese Super League in 2018 and has made himself exceedingly wealthy due to his salary in Asia.
1. Eden Hazard – £88m (Real Madrid, 2019)
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 an initial fee of £88m.
Subsequent reports have detailed that should certain criteria be met, Hazard could cost Madrid as much as €160m.
He has certainly failed to live up to huge expectations so far as his career at the Santiago Bernabeu has been ravaged by injury and disappointing form.