Manchester City sold another academy graduate last week and the structure of the deal was a familiar one.
Farid Alfa-Ruprecht #7 of Manchester City is in action during the FA Youth Cup Final match between Manchester City and Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, on May 10, 2024. (Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Farid Alfa-Ruprecht has left City to sign for Bayer Leverkusen
Farid Alfa-Ruprecht might be leaving Manchester City without making a first-team appearance, but there will be plenty of interest from the Etihad in how he gets on at Bayer Leverkusen.
The 19-year-old has returned to the Bundesliga in a £5million move that also included a huge 50% sell-on clause. City will follow his development with interest.
They have become masters at inserting sell-on clauses in deals to sell academy youngsters and then making further profit on their sales later.
James Trafford will become the latest example when he completes his likely move from Burnley to Newcastle. City sold the young goalkeeper to Burnley in 2023 for £15million, which included a sell-on clause worth 20% of any profit.
With the move to St James’ Park set to net the Clarets upwards of £30million, City are in line for another tasty windfall, with at least £3million of that fee set to be diverted to the Etihad.
That would be the latest example of how City have managed to profit from the sales of academy graduates, turning an impressive supply of players into a valuable source of finance.
Making the grade at the Etihad is difficult, but as Trafford’s development shows, plenty of City alumni go on to have outstanding careers elsewhere in the game.
In the last three years, City have now raised more than £200million from the sales of academy graduates, with some of those sell-on clauses boosting that figure.
Liam Delap’s move from Ipswich Town to Chelsea this summer has already seen City make £2million. They raised a similar fee when Morgan Rogers moved from Middlesbrough to Aston Villa and another goalkeeper, Aro Muric, also secured extra profit when he swapped Burnley for Ipswich.
Maybe the best example is Romeo Lavia, whom City sold to Southampton for £10.5million but who then banked a similar sum when he left St Mary’s to move to Chelsea for £58million.
So while Alfa-Ruprecht has left the club without really making a mark, his future will remain a subject of interest and there could be similar deals ahead.
Last season, City’s Under-21 team topped Premier League 2 before being crowned champions after winning the play-off system, while the Under-18s went on a 26-game winning run at one stage but fell short in two finals.
It does show that the supply line is still there. City will likely sell a few more academy graduates before the transfer window is out, and you can expect those deals to also include sell-on clauses.
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