Manchester City are known for their spending power following their 2008 takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group and have won everything under Pep Guardiola.
Jack Grealish is the club’s biggest ever addition at a cost of £100m, whereas star striker Erling Haaland looks a bargain at just over £50m.
However, those at the Etihad Stadium have also brought in some big fees for some star players in recent years, with Cole Palmer’s move to Chelsea one that City arguably regret.
Here is a list of Man City’s most expensive departures of all time, with a detailed look at the top 10.
Rank
Player
Fee
Sold to
Year
Julian Alvarez
£64.4m
Atletico Madrid
2024
Raheem Sterling
£47.5m
Chelsea
2022
Ferran Torres
£46.7m
Barcelona
2021
Gabriel Jesus
£45m
Arsenal
2022
Leroy Sane
£44.7m
Bayern Munich
2020
Cole Palmer
£42.5m
Chelsea
2023
Danilo
£34.1m
Juventus
2019
Oleksandr Zinchenko
£30m
Arsenal
2022
Riyad Mahrez
£30m
Al-Hilal
2023
Kelechi Iheanacho
£25m
Leicester
2017
Yan Couto
£25m
Borussia Dortmund
2025
Alvaro Negredo
£23.8m
Valencia
2014
Aymeric Laporte
£23.6m
Al-Nassr
2023
James McAtee
£22m
Nottingham Forest
2025
Joao Cancelo
£21.2m
Al-Hilal
2001
Shaun Wright-Phillips
£21m
Chelsea
2005
Taylor Harwood-Bellis
£20m
Southampton
2024
Mario Balotelli
£19m
AC Milan
2013
James Trafford
£19m
Burnley
2023
Robinho
£18m
AC Milan
2010
10 Kelechi Iheanacho £25m to Leicester, 2017
Eight years before full-back Yan Couto, Man City sold forward Kelechi Iheanacho for a fee of £25m.
The Nigerian scored 21 goals in 64 games at the Etihad, however, in search of regular game time, signed for the Foxes where he would make more than 230 appearances.
He won the FA Cup for Leicester, whereas City were happy with the money after bringing the forward through their academy.
9 Riyad Mahrez £30m to Al-Hilal, 2023
After winning the treble with Man City in 2022/23, winger Riyad Mahrez swapped Manchester for Saudi Arabia.
Mahrez was 32 years of age when Al-Hilal came calling, with City recouping half of the £60m they paid Leicester for the right-winger in 2018.
8 Oleksandr Zinchenko £30m to Arsenal, 2022
Full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko played more than 125 games for Man City after joining in 2016 from FC Ufa.
Zinchenko cost just £1.8m, so would go on to make a huge profit when selling the Ukrainian to Arsenal. It proved to be a wise call, with the left-back struggling to make the same impact at the Emirates.
7 Danilo £34.1m to Juventus, 2019
Brazilian full-back Danilo arrived from Real Madrid in Guardiola’s first season and would make 60 appearances for Man City.
He left for Juventus in 2019 after winning back-to-back Premier League titles, two EFL Cup trophies and an FA Cup, with City making profit in the process.
6 Cole Palmer £42.5m to Chelsea, 2023
A sale that Man City look set to regret for a long time is academy graduate Cole Palmer.
When Man City accepted Chelsea’s £42.5m offer for the attacking midfielder in 2023, it appeared as if it was a wise decision and one that would help with FFP.
However, Palmer has gone from strength to strength at Stamford Bridge and is now seen as one of the best creative attackers in world football.
5 Leroy Sane £44.7m to Bayern, 2020
Arriving at the Etihad in 2016 for an initial £37m, Leroy Sane made a big impact on the wing for Man City, with his lightning speed terrifying full-backs in the Premier League.
The German won two league titles with City and returned to his native country with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich four years later, with the Blues making money on the attacker.
4 Gabriel Jesus £45m to Arsenal, 2022
Like Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus also made the move from Man City to Arsenal in 2022, and the Brazilian cost the Gunners more at £45m.
Jesus scored 95 goals in 236 games for City, winning four Premier League titles. He cost the Blues around £27m, meaning those at the Etihad made a tidy profit despite selling to a rival.
3 Ferran Torres £46.7m to Barcelona, 2021
Ferran Torres’ stay in Manchester was short and sweet, and much of his 18-month stay at the Etihad was during the pandemic and played behind closed doors, so City fans never really got to see the forward up close.
The Spaniard did catch the eye in England, so much so that Barcelona were willing to pay £46.7m for his services at the end of 2021.
2 Raheem Sterling £47.5m to Chelsea, 2022
Raheem Sterling spent seven years as a Man City player and won four Premier League titles at the Etihad, going down as a club legend.
The winger cost City just under £50m from Liverpool in 2015, so recouping the majority of that fee when Chelsea came in was seen as a shrewd piece of business.
1 Julian Alvarez £64.4m to Atletico Madrid, 2024
Top of the list as Man City’s most expensive sale of all time is forward Julian Alvarez, who played second fiddle to Haaland for large parts of his Etihad career.
The Argentine did win the World Cup while at City and impressed when given the chance under Guardiola.
However, those at the Etihad couldn’t turn down an initial £64.4m offer from Atletico Madrid, and that could rise to £81.5m with add ons.