The sale of academy graduates has become a hot topic in recent months, with Premier League teams offloading fringe players in a bid to raise funds for first-team investment. The increasing importance of staying with profitability and sustainability rules has forced even the richest to work smarter.
The benefit of selling academy players is that they essentially cost nothing and so any fee brought in is seen as pure profit when it comes to club accounts. And as tedious as that may sound, it is why the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City have been able to spend big in recent months.
Liverpool have raised plenty of money through such sales in recent years, moving on the likes of Harry Wilson, Rhian Brewster and Neco Williams. But how do they rank among Europe's most productive and profitable academies? Take a look below.
5. Chelsea- £296m
Much of Chelsea's recent spending has been funded by the sale of academy players such as Mason mount, who joined United for £60m last summer. Other big sales include Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Marc Guehi and Tammy Abraham. | Getty Images
6. AS Monaco - £277m
Kylian Mbappe burst onto the scene at Monaco before joining PSG in a deal worth around £165m in 2018. The French side also got around £35m for Tiemoue Bakayoko in 2017. | Getty Images
7. Sporting Lisbon - £261m
Matheus Nunes spent three-and-a-half years at the Portuguese side before moving to Wolves in a £42m deal. Sporting's production belt has been one of steady profit, rather than a few major sales. | Getty Images
8. Tottenham Hotspur - £219m
Spurs sold all-time top goalscorer Harry Kane to Bayern Munich in a deal worth over £100m last summer. | Getty Images