Some clubs would object to being referred to as a “selling club”, but FC Porto have found a way to embrace their reputation by unearthing talent before offloading players for premium transfer fees.
Over the years, the Portuguese giants have made a habit of finding talent and moving them on to some of Europe’s biggest clubs. That is in large part down to their impressive scouting network in South America, combined with their long-standing tradition of giving opportunities to players from the club’s academy.
They are not the only Portuguese club to engage in flogging their players for inflated fees — Benfica sold Darwin Nunez to Liverpool this summer for a hefty £85m including add-ons. And like their league rivals, Porto have made a fortune from this practice, with some star performers making their names at the Estadio do Dragao.
