New Black Store in Europe? Lille’s Annual Net Transfer Income at €100M, Yaro’s Transfer Just the Tip of the Iceberg

According to Spain’s AS, Lille OSC, a French club, is like a gold mine with its unique player trading strategy, making it stand out in European football. The management of Lille has an extraordinary business acumen, not only insisting on high prices but also frequently winning at the negotiating table, becoming one of the most profitable clubs in Ligue 1.

The latest major deal was sending central defender Lenny Yaro to Premier League giants Manchester United for a base transfer fee of €62 million plus €8 million in variables. This marks another glorious achievement for Lille in the player transfer market, with Yaro’s transfer fee ranking third in the club’s history, behind only Nicolas Pépé and Victor Osimhen.

Pépé transferred to Arsenal for a whopping €80 million in the 2019/2020 season, although his performance in London did not meet expectations; while Osimhen joined Napoli for a transfer fee of €77.5 million, with Lille having originally signed him for just €22.5 million.

In the past decade, Lille’s net transfer income has been as high as €321.5 million, making it one of the clubs with the highest net transfer income in Europe. In addition to Pépé, Osimhen, and Yaro, there is Sven Botman who transferred to Newcastle for €37.5 million, as well as Eden Hazard who moved to Chelsea for €35 million. Another star player, Rafael Leão, transferred to AC Milan for €35 million after joining Lille as a free agent.

Lille is expected to continue leading the income charts in this year’s transfer window. Following Yaro’s huge transfer, the next focus will be on forward Jonathan David, whose contract expires in 2025, with Premier League teams showing strong interest, and the expected transfer fee is between €40 and €50 million.