Southampton's 10 biggest sales of all time

FT Desk

• 1 Mar 2026 04:00 CST
• 6 min read

Analysis

Southampton have operated as one of England’s smartest football clubs over the past few decades, with their focus on developing and nurturing young talents rewarding them with impressive profits and a fantastic reputation in the game.

The Saints saw the likes of Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale pass through their academy in the 2000s, while Luke Shaw kept up that tradition when he emerged in the 2010s.

Furthermore, in years gone by, St Mary’s has been an excellent landing spot for young players to join the Premier League before moving on to pastures new after developing at Southampton.

Below, FootballTransfers lists Southampton’s 10 biggest sales of all time.

10. Adam Lallana - €31m (to Liverpool, 2014)

Adam Lallana was one of three Southampton players to join Liverpool in 2014, along with Dejan Lovren and veteran forward Rickie Lambert.

The tricky midfielder spent six years at Anfield, but made just 117 starts during that time as he suffered several injury set-backs and lost his place in Klopp’s preferred starting XI.

He departed for Brighton in 2020, having won four trophies at Liverpool.

9. James Ward-Prowse - €34.8m (to West Ham, 2023)

James Ward-Prowse left Southampton as a club legend in the 2023 summer transfer window following their relegation to the Championship.

The midfielder was arguably the club’s greatest academy graduate of his generation and he made 410 senior appearances for the Saints - scoring 55 and assisting 54 - before West Ham spent €34.8m to sign him after losing Declan Rice to Arsenal.

He was unable to have the same impact at West Ham and was deemed surplus to requirements after just one season.

8. Morgan Schneiderlin - €35m (to Man Utd, 2015)

Tottenham Hotspur were heavily linked with signing Morgan Schneiderlin in 2014 as they looked to pinch Southampton’s star midfielder after appointing Pochettino as their new manager, but their attempts were thwarted by the Saints.

Instead, Manchester United pounced a year later and signed the Frenchman for €35m, leaving Spurs to buy Vincent Wanyama from Southampton in 2016.

However, Schneiderlin failed to adapt to life at Old Trafford and he was sold to Everton after 18 months as a Man Utd player. In 2020, the player himself admitted that he should’ve joined Spurs rather than the Red Devils.

7. Tino Livramento - €37.2m (to Newcastle, 2023)

Tino Livramento was the first major Southampton star to leave the club following the relegation to the Championship in 2023, despite the fact that he played virtually no part in their final Premier League campaign.

The Chelsea academy graduate suffered an ACL injury against Brighton in 2022, which kept him sidelined for over a year, but Newcastle were convinced by his debut Premier League season to splash €37.2m on the right-back.

He has proved to be a shrewd signing for the Magpies, but injuries have plagued him ever since that ACL tear.

6. Luke Shaw - €37.5m (to Man Utd, 2014)

Luke Shaw is the second Saints player who left in 2014 to appear on this list, with Mauricio Pochettino helping the young Englishman develop into the most promising full-back in the country during his time at St Mary's.

In the process of joining Man Utd, Shaw became the most expensive teenager in football history, with the Red Devils placing a lot of faith in the youngster.

He became one of England’s best defenders after his move to Old Trafford, although his career was ruined by injuries.

5. Tyler Dibling - €40.5m (to Liverpool, 2025)

Tyler Dibling is Southampton through and through, but his prodigious talent has twice taken him away from the club. Initially, he left for Chelsea, but he failed to settle and quickly returned to St. Mary's.

The second time was to last a little longer. After being a rare positive during Southampton's dire 2024/25 relegation season, Dibling was snapped up by Everton for €40.5m.

The Saints had originally hoped to receive up to €100m for the exciting winger, but the relegation put them in a weak negotiating position, so they had to settle for a smaller but still impressive fee.

4. Sadio Mane - €41.2m (to Liverpool, 2016)

Sadio Mane made headlines when he broke the record for the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history during his time at Southampton.

That match-winning performance against Aston Villa was one of many during his two campaigns at St Mary’s, and Liverpool subsequently spent over €40m to sign the Senegal international in 2016.

Mane left Southampton with 25 goals in 75 appearances and reached new heights at Anfield as he became a vital cog in Klopp’s Champions League and Premier League-winning teams.

3. Mateus Fernandes - €44m (to West Ham, 2025)

Mateus Fernandes was a little-known young midfielder when Southampton signed him for €15m in 2024. By the end of the 2024/25, he was still fairly unknown, but he had shown enough glimpses in an awful team to convince West Ham to snap him up.

Southampton bit West Ham's hand off when they offered what seemed like a hugely inflated €44m for the Portuguese youngster. In hindsight, although still overpriced, the deal does not look as bad as Fernandes has been quite good for the Hammers.

He instantly became a regular in East London.

2. Romeo Lavia - €62m (to Chelsea, 2023)

Romeo Lavia is Southampton's second-most expensive sale following his €62m move to Chelsea. The Belgian was heavily linked with a transfer to Liverpool, but he decided against becoming the next in a long line of Southampton stars to join the Reds.

Instead, he followed Moises Caicedo in rejecting Liverpool to sign for Chelsea as he became the club’s 10th most expensive signing in history at the time.

Lavia spent just one year at Southampton, with the south coast club turning an impressive profit on the player, having signed him for less than €15m from Manchester City in 2022.

His time at Chelsea has been a disaster, however, as he has been perpetually injured since joining.

1. Virgil van Dijk - €84.7m (to Liverpool, 2018)

Virgil van Dijk remains Southampton’s record-breaking departure thanks to his then-world-record move to Liverpool in 2018. The Dutchman is no longer the most expensive defender in the world, however, following Josko Gvardiol's transfer to Manchester City.

He is one of several players on this list to leave Southampton for Liverpool, but his move has arguably been the most successful as he helped transform the Reds from nearly-men into Premier League and European champions.

Van Dijk was appointed Liverpool captain in 2023 following Jordan Henderson’s departure to Saudi Arabia.

The 10 biggest Southampton sales of all time