The transfer machine. Which players did Borussia Dortmund earn the most money for?

Borussia Dortmund have been one of the best teams in Germany for a long time. But at the start of the 21st century, it was in a serious financial crisis, threatened with extinction and even Bayern Munich had to send a loan. Since then, BVB has managed very sensibly and it has borne fruit.

At Signal Iduna Park they don’t buy stars, they nurture them. If you take the players who have worn the yellow and black jersey, it’s a parade of superstars. Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus, Erling Haalanda, Jadon Sancho, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ousmane Dembélé…

But for not one player did Borussia pay any exorbitant amount, the vast majority of these later stars were brought in as unknown youngsters.

That’s Dortmund’s philosophy. Buy a diamond in the rough for a few euros, make it right and sell it at a huge profit a house down the road. Which players did Borussia make the most money on?

5. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | €63.75 million | Arsenal | 2018

The Gabonese striker joined Dortmund from Milan in 2013 and has become a huge favourite among BVB fans. He has won three trophies for the club – the DFB Pokal (2016/17), the DFB Supercup (2013, 2014).

He played 4 and a half seasons at Dortmund and netted 141 goals in 213 games across all competitions.

4. Christian Pulisic | €64 million | Chelsea | 2019

The Dortmund academy product was another big sale for Borussia. Pulisic made his debut for BVB in 2016 and played three seasons there.

His performances at such a young age caught the attention of clubs across Europe, until he was bought by Chelsea for €64 million in 2019.

3. Erling Haaland | €75 million | Manchester City | 2022

If agent Mino Raiola hadn’t inserted a €75 million clause into Haaland’s contract, the Norwegian beast would probably be close to breaking transfer records.

Haaland joined Dortmund from Salzburg in 2020 for €20 million. Within two years, he has developed into one of the best young players in the world, wanted by perhaps all the big clubs. Haaland scored 86 goals in 89 games.

The Norwegian was eventually picked up by Manchester City in the summer, who paid a €75 million buyout clause.

2. Jadon Sancho | €85 million | Manchester United | 2021

Sancho was snapped up by Dortmund from Manchester City’s academy in 2017 and was immediately given the opportunity to establish himself in the first team. The young Englishman quickly became one of BVB’s workhorses, spending four seasons in Germany and winning one DFB Pokal and one Super Cup.

He scored 50 goals and added 64 assists in 137 games. As a result, he was bought out by the Red Devils for €85 million in the summer of 2021.

1. Ousmane Dembele | €140 million | Barcelona | 2017

Probably the fastest-valued investment. Dortmund bought Dembele from Rennes in 2016 for €35 million and sold him to Barcelona a year later for €140 million.

The French youngster racked up a 10+22 record in 50 games for Borussia in the 2016/17 season and forced his way into a transfer to Barcelona. Considering that he was plagued by injuries for 5 years in Catalonia, Dortmund made a great transfer.

Source: Transfermarkt