Brighton have made so much money in transfer sales in recent years that it would make your eyes water. 

This summer alone they raked in £177 million – and that’s before you even include add-ons, bonuses and undisclosed transfer fees.

The deals they have done since entering the Premier League in 2017 shows why they are the masters of flipping players at a profit. But it is their ability to keep finding wonderkids and hidden gems that enables them to stay competitive in the top flight.

Club owner and chairman Tony Bloom, who made his money in sports betting, is believed to have devised his own proprietary method of unearthing undervalued or undiscovered talents that can blossom into future stars.

Despite selling off their best players, Brighton currently boast a number of starlets that could leave for big money in the future. Evan Ferguson, who came through their academy, is the Premier League’s next superstar and said to be worth over £100m at just 18 years of age, while Kaoru Mitoma joined for just £2.7m in 2021 and is worth many multiples of that today.

We’ve compiled a list of their biggest sales to date, using full fees including add-ons where possible.

Brighton’s biggest transfer sales in the Premier League:

7. Robert Sanchez – Chelsea, £25m

Getting £25m for a backup goalkeeper is not a bad bit of business at all. Robert Sanchez fell out of favour with manager Roberto De Zerbi last year, losing his starting spot to Jason Steele. The Spaniard was also an academy graduate, meaning the transfer fee is recorded as 100 percent profit in their accounts.

The most expensive Premier League XI signed this summer

6. Leandro Trossard – Arsenal, £27m

The Belgian winger didn’t leave Brighton on the best of terms, but he did at least score them a decent transfer on his way out the door last January. Arsenal paid an initial £20m plus £7m in add-ons after missing out on Mykhailo Mudryk, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Trossard made an immediate impact, providing ten assists for the Gunners in the second half of last season. Brighton paid Genk just £18m for the 28-year-old in 2019.

5. Yves Bissouma – Spurs, £35m

During his four years at Brighton Yves Bissouma earned a reputation for being a very classy midfield operator, which earned him a move to Tottenham Hotspur in 2022. The north London outfit paid £25m upfront with a further £10m in add-ons, meaning the Seagulls could more than double their money on the £15m they spent to buy him from Lille in 2018.

At the time Bissouma’s departure was seen as a big blow to Brighton’s prospects on the pitch, but he was replaced immediately by Moises Caicedo and they went on to finish ahead of Spurs in the Premier League table.

Yves Bissouma is the only player in Europe’s big-five leagues so far this season with:

◉ 10+ interceptions
◉ 10+ tackles made
◉ 10+ take-ons completed

BOSSouma pic.twitter.com/MyEg3FPtGF

— Squawka (@Squawka) September 4, 2023

4. Ben White – Arsenal, £50m

Arsenal cannot be accused of not backing their manager in the transfer market, with three of their five most expensive signings coming under Mikel Arteta. The £50m they spent on Ben White is the most they have ever splashed out on a defender. The England international came through the academy, leaving Brighton with a huge profit on their balance sheets.

Every single Premier League transfer on deadline day

3. Alexis Mac Allister – Liverpool, £55m

After winning the World Cup with Argentina, Alexis Mac Allister suddenly came onto the radar of the Premier League’s biggest clubs. Liverpool secured his signature at the beginning of the summer, paying Brighton an initial £35m that could rise to £55m, according to reports. Brighton bought him from Argentinos Juniors for less than £7m in 2018.

2. Marc Cucurella – Chelsea, £62m

Both Manchester City and Chelsea were vying for Marc Cucurella’s signature last summer, but the Blues won out in the end, paying Brighton a guaranteed £55m plus add-ons for the left-back. The Spaniard has failed to prove his worth thus far at Stamford Bridge and was linked with a deadline day move to Manchester United just a year after his big money move. The former Barcelona defender cost just £15m from Getafe in 2021.

The Premier League transfers that collapsed on deadline day

1. Moises Caicedo – Chelsea, £115m

Tony Bloom has really rung Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital dry, huh? Chelsea have funnelled over £200m to Brighton in the last two years alone, and that’s just on three players. The Seagulls held firm on their valuation of Moises Caicedo this past summer and got more than they even imagined after Liverpool entered the race.

The west London club beat their Premier League rival to the Ecuadorian’s signature though, following a dramatic transfer battle that went back and forth, breaking the British transfer record in the process.

“He has the potential to be one of the best”