5 players who were sold for ridiculously cheap fees

#3: Kevin de Bruyne - £18m

Chelsea probably regret only getting £18m for Kevin de Bruyne

£18m doesn’t sound like a cheap fee on the face of things, but when you consider that in the same season that saw Kevin de Bruyne sold by Chelsea to Wolfsburg for that amount – 2013/14 – the Blues also signed Andre Schurlle for the same fee, and players like Stefan Jovetic, Alvaro Negredo, Roberto Soldado and Erik Lamela all moved for more money, suddenly £18m doesn’t sound too bad at all.

At the time of course, de Bruyne was largely untapped potential, a player who’d never been given a fair chance at Stamford Bridge due to their apparent mistrust of young talent. Prior to his move to Wolfsburg he’d been a hit on loan at Werder Bremen, but was still considered surplus to requirements by Chelsea and sold for a relatively cheap fee.

Naturally, de Bruyne has had the last laugh. He turned out to be a tremendous success at Wolfsburg, breaking the record for assists in the Bundesliga in 2014/15 and being named Germany’s Footballer of the Year. A move to Manchester City for £55m followed - £37m more than the cheap fee Chelsea sold him for – and he’s now considered one of the best players in the Premier League and the world. In hindsight, Chelsea likely not only regret selling him so cheaply; they probably regret selling him at all.