Olympique Lyonnais are the fourth club in the world to have earned the most from the transfer of players from their academy (a player who has spent at least 3 seasons at the club between ages 15 and 21) over the last ten years, according to data from the latest report by the CIES Football Observatory.
With revenues of €423 million, Les Gones sit just off the podium, behind SL Benfica (€598 million), AFC Ajax (€454 million) and Chelsea FC (€442 million). In total, no fewer than 12 French clubs feature in the top 100, including four in the top 20 — OL (4th), AS Monaco (8th), Stade Rennais (11th) and Paris Saint-Germain (12th).
Having pocketed €266 million from the sale of players trained at their academy, Rennes rank fifth among the top sellers over the last five years — and are the leading French club over that period.
These figures mean that France, with €3.005 billion, ranks second internationally among the countries whose youth academies have received the most transfer fees over the last ten years — behind England (€4.371m).
