Fenerbahçe are turning heads not just for the stars they are signing, but for the rising generation of players it’s turning into cash.
Under President Ali Koç, the club has perfected a model of nurturing young talent and selling at the right time, consistently generating high revenues while simultaneously strengthening the squad.
This summer, the Yellow-Navy Blues bolstered their roster with marquee names such as Ederson, Marco Asensio, Jhon Duran, Nelson Semedo, Milan Skriniar, Dorgeles Nene, Archie Brown, and Kerem Aktürkoğlu, signaling serious ambition on and off the pitch.
Yet, their most notable achievements may still be in the bank: homegrown Yusuf Akçiçek recently made the move to Al Hilal for 22 million euros ($25.6 million), joining a lineage of profitable youth sales.
Over the past three seasons, Fenerbahçe has consistently turned young prospects into substantial revenue streams.
In 2023-24, Arda Güler became a sensation on the transfer market, moving to Real Madrid and bringing 20 million euros in fees, excluding potential bonuses.
A year later, Ferdi Kadıoğlu followed suit, transferring to Brighton for 30 million euros, cementing Fenerbahçe’s reputation for producing players who attract top European clubs.
Now, with Yusuf Akçiçek joining the ranks, the club has netted approximately 72 million euros from Güler, Kadıoğlu and Akçiçek alone, bonuses and sell-on clauses aside.
This strategy is hardly new.
It began with Eljif Elmas, whose sale to Napoli in the 2019-20 season for 16 million euros marked Fenerbahçe’s emergence on Europe’s scouting radar.
Since then, the club has maintained its pull with promising domestic and international talent, from Vedat Muriç and Kim Min-jae to Attila Szalai, demonstrating that Fenerbahçe is an attractive launchpad for ambitious young players aiming to make their mark on the European stage.
The pattern is clear: Fenerbahçe identifies potential, develops skill, and times sales to maximize return.
From Elmas to Akçiçek, the strategy has yielded 158.3 million euros in transfers of 10 million euros or more under Koç’s tenure, highlighting both shrewd management and the club’s evolving influence in the global football market.
