Southampton have made some premium player sales this century, with Liverpool in particular enjoying doing business with them
Southampton are renowned for their top-class youth academy and also have one of the best scouting teams in the Premier League.
Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott are arguably their most famous academy graduates, with both enjoying successful careers at the highest level.
But the Saints have also consistently managed to bring in some of the greatest prospects in the game, only to help them take their game to the next level and then sell at a healthy profit.
Liverpool in particular love a Southampton player!
In recent years, Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Adam Lallana, Danny Ings and Dejan Lovren all swapped Southampton in favour of a move to Anfield.
Who were their best outgoing deals, though, and which players earned them the most money?
Southampton most expensive player sales by season
Season
Biggest sale
Fee
Total sales
2022/23
None
Nil
Nil
2021/22
Danny Ings
£26.48M
£54.33M
2020/21
Pierre-Emile Hojberg
£14.94M
£23.67M
2019/20
Matt Targett
£13.95M
£24.57M
2018/19
Dusan Tadic
£12.33M
£23.49M
2017/18
Virgil van Dijk
£76.19M
£88.52M
2016/17
Sadio Mane
£37.08M
£76.55M
2015/16
Morgan Schneiderlin
£31.50M
£47.43M
2014/15
Luke Shaw
£33.75
£111.45M
2013/14
Jason Puncheon
£1.98M
£3.78M
2012/13
None
Nil
Nil
2011/12
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
£12.42M
£12.91M
2010/11
None
Nil
Nil
2009/10
David McGoldrick
£1.69M
£4.57M
2008/09
Andrew Davies
£1.71M
£3.04M
2007/08
Gareth Bale
£13.23M
£27.82M
2006/07
Ricardo Fuller
£1.58M
£4.05M
2005/06
Peter Crouch/Theo Walcott
£9.45M
£26.93M
2004/05
James Beattie
£8.10M
£10.35M
2003/04
Wayne Bridge
£9.45M
£9.79M
2002/03
None
Nil
Nil
2001/02
Dean Richards
£10.94M
£13.01M
2000/01
Shayne Bradley
£117,000
£131,000
TOTAL
£566.39M
*All figures are taken from Transfermarkt unless stated otherwise.
Southampton top 10 most expensive player salesGetty10Jannik Vestergaard | £15.84m | Leicester City | 2021
Vestergaard joined Southampton from Borussia Monchengladbach for a fee of £22.50 million.
The Dane signed a four-year contract in 2018 and scored his first goal for the club in August 2019 in a 1-1 draw against Manchester United.
After 72 appearances for the Saints, Leicester City came calling in the summer of 2021, paying £15.84m for his signature.
AdvertisementGetty Images9Nathaniel Clyne | £15.93m | Liverpool | 2015
After graduating from Crystal Palace's youth academy, Clyne joined Southampton in the summer of 2012, the season when the Saints were newly promoted to the Premier League.
After over 90 appearances in three years at the club, which saw him help Southampton to their highest ever finish in the Premier League, Clyne joined Liverpool for £15.93 million in the summer of 2015.
The right-back made 77 appearances for the Reds, before returning to his boyhood club Crystal Palace in 2020.
8Calum Chambers | £18.21m | Arsenal | 2014
After joining Southampton's academy as a seven-year-old kid, Chambers rose through the ranks at the club and made his full debut in the 2012-13 season in a 4-1 win over Stevenage.
In July 2013, Chambers signed a new four-year deal at Southampton and made his Premier League debut later in August.
Arsenal made a move for him just a year later, signing him for £18.21 million.
Getty Images7Dejan Lovren | £22.77m | Liverpool | 2014
After impressing at Lyon, Southampton signed Dejan Lovren for £9 million in the summer of 2013.
The Croatian scored his first goal for Southampton against his future team Liverpool at Anfield in September 2013.
Lovren also came up with an assist for Southampton in a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford later that season.
The centre-back was then pursued by Liverpool in the summer of 2014 and the Reds signed him for £22.77m, making him the most expensive defender in the club's history until Van Dijk arrived in 2017.