When talking about the best transfers ever, deals such as Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid are often the ones most talked about.
However, Brighton and Hove Albion’s deal for Moises Caicedo may top both of them.
The Seagulls paid £4.5 million for the 21-year-old from Ecuadorian side Independiente, with the club selling him for £115 million to Premier League rivals Chelsea, just 18 months after signing him.
Despite his former side having a 20% sell-on fee on any future sale, Roberto De Zerbi’s side will receive £92 million from the Blues for Caicedo’s signature.
The deal means that the Seagulls have netted a profit of £87.5 million on the Ecuadorian midfielder after just a year and a half at the AMEX Stadium.
Brighton’s brilliant business
Since Caicedo’s debut for Brighton in August 2022, the midfielder featured 45 times for the club in all competitions.
His tally of 45 appearances coupled with the Seagulls’ £87.5 million profit for the Ecuadorian, works out at £1.9 million profit per game he played for the club, a staggering total.
Caicedo is the latest example of Brighton’s excellent business in the transfer market.
Within the last 2 years alone, the club have made £330 million on player sales, whilst only spending £123 million, a net profit of £207 million.
The club have set a precedent of how to do effective business in the transfer market. Their strategy of buying young talented players from across the globe, and developing them into world-class stars.
This has enabled them to progress as a club financially, whilst still setting high levels of performance on it as demonstrated by their qualification for the Europa League.