When teams sell academy graduates, the entire transfer fee is recorded as ‘pure profit’ in their books, allowing them to circumvent the top flight’s stringent profit and sustainability regulations.
Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, 24, who has been with the club since he was eight, has agreed to join Atletico Madrid in a £33 million move.
Mason Mount (£55 million), Lewis Hall (£28 million), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (£15 million), Ian Maatsen (£35 million), Callum Hudson-Odoi (£5 million), and Billy Gilmour (£7.5 million) are some of the other youth players sold by the club in the recent year, with Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah largely projected to it.
The sales have allowed Chelsea to spend a world-record sum of well over £1 billion in the last four transfer windows to rebuild the team with youthful players.
When questioned if selling popular youth players would anger supporters, Maresca responded: “But this is not Chelsea’s concern; these are the rules. Due to the laws, all clubs are currently required to sell academy players. It is a problem shared by all Premier League clubs.
“It’s not just us; it’s every Premier League club. It’s a shame because in Italy, we have [Francesco] Totti, who has been with Roma for 20 years. We love it in football, and the fans want to see it.
