5 teams who have generated the most income from player sales in the 21st century

#3 Inter Milan - €1.32 billion

FC Internazionale Milano v Udinese Calcio - Serie A

Inter Milan are one of the most popular and historical clubs in Europe and Italy. The famous blue and black stripes of the Nerazzurri have been worn by some of the game's finest stars, who have plied their trade at the iconic San Siro.

But like most clubs across Europe, Inter have often been forced to bid farewell to their stars whenever the right offer arrives. They have relied on transfer income to have a balanced squad that can challenge for both domestic and European trophies.

Inter's biggest sale happened this summer when they sold Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea for a reported €115 million. Achraf Hakimi's €60 million move to Paris Saint-Germain in the same summer was also one of their biggest sales. Notably, the club made the most money in Europe from transfers this summer.

In addition to that, the club have also overseen the departures of Zlatan Ibrahimovic (€69.5m), Mauro Icardi (€50m), Ronaldo (€45m) and Mario Balotelli (€29.5m) during the 21st century.

Inter had to sell some of their biggest stars due to a financial crisis this summer but the club has continued to perform well. They will definitely be hoping to rise from this situation once again.

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#2 Chelsea - €1.34 billion

Manchester City v Chelsea FC - UEFA Champions League Final

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. This has seen the club become a force in not just the Premier League but Europe as well, enabling them to win several trophies.

But the club has also made some massive sales during that time. They have recently become one of the best teams in the world at developing youngsters and selling them for profit.

The club's Cobham academy has become a regular source of income for the club, whether it be from loans or from permanent departures. However, Chelsea have often been criticized for a lack of a pathway for academy players to be integrated into the first team.

Chelsea's biggest departure, however, was that of their talisman Eden Hazard, who left for Real Madrid in 2019 for a reported €115 million. Other big sales include Diego Costa (€60m), Oscar (€60m), David Luiz (€50m) and Juan Mata (€45m).

The club's biggest sales from academy players was that of Tammy Abraham (€40m) and Fikayo Tomori (€29m) who both departed this summer for Roma and AC Milan respectively.

Chelsea continue to be smart in the transfer market and are definitely one of the clubs that has been able to justify their big spending with the income they generate.

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#1 Juventus - €1.45 billion

Atalanta BC v Juventus - TIMVISION Cup Final

Italian giants Juventus are the club who have profited the most from player sales in the 21st century.

The Bianconeri are Italy's most historically dominant club and part of that success has been built on being very shrewd in the transfer market. The Old Lady are known as the King of free transfers and have made some excellent bosman transfers over the years.

But Juventus have also splashed the cash and broken transfer records on superstars like Roberto Baggio and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Paul Pogba's departure to Manchester United in 2016 for €105 million in 2016 was the biggest sale made by the Turin-based side in the 21st century. Surprisingly, their second-biggest departure came back in 2001, when Zinedine Zidane was sold to Real Madrid for €77 million. It was a world record transfer at the time.

Juventus' other notable sales include that of Joao Cancelo (€65m), Miralem Pjanic (€60m), Leonardo Bonucci (€42m) and Arturo Vidal (€39m).

Despite selling so many big players, Juventus have managed to win Serie A a record 11 times during the century with nine consecutive wins coming between 2011-12 and 2019-20. This goes on to show that the club's hierarchy have done a pretty decent job in managing their finances while also not making a negative impact on the field.