Who made the most money in January transfer window?

The 2024 January transfer window was a pretty low-key affair, all things considered.

While there was some drama on Deadline Day, most of the window was very quiet indeed, with only a handful of big-money deals being made. Nevertheless, some clubs were actually quite busy, especially on the outgoing front.

Athletico Paranaense sold Brazilian wonderkid Vitor Roque to Barcelona in the biggest transfer of the month, receiving a whopping €40 million upfront from the cash-strapped Catalans. Bayern, meanwhile, splashed €30m on French right-back Sacha Boey, signing him from Galatasaray after failing to agree a deal with PSG for Nordi Mukiele.

Given the dearth of high-profile deals in January, these two players’ respective former clubs made some of the most money in January. Both Paranaense and Galatasaray feature among the top five clubs when it comes to gross January income.

Who had the biggest gross income in January?

Indeed, because of Roque, the Brazilians raked in the most money in January. Athletico Paranaense made €45m in total across January, also selling Vitor Bueno and Lucas Halter for small transfer fees in the winter window.

Roque’s former club aren’t the only side to occupy top spot, however. From the Brazilian Serie A to the Italian one, Hellas Verona also made €45m, but not because they produced one of the world’s biggest talents.

The reason behind Verona’s sizeable income is actually quite sad. The Italian side are faced with huge economic problems, leading to owner Maurizio Setti having his shares seized by the domestic financial police. As a result, Verona went on a firesale, offloading most of their first team, which will likely result in relegation at the end of the season.

Next up are Galatasaray, who made most of their €35m from selling Boey to Bayern. The top five is completed by more Brazilian clubs in Palmeiras and Corinthians, who sold five and four players for transfer fees, respectively.

Who had the biggest net income in January?

Gross income is, of course, just one side of the coin. To stay competitive, you need to replace your outgoings. Corinthians and Palmeiras certainly did that, hence why they don’t feature in the top five sides in terms of January net income.

Verona, due of their firesale, top this table, only offsetting the outgoings with €8.3m worth of incomings. The Italian side thus made a profit of €36.7m in January.

Next up are Galatasaray, who only spent €100,00 in January. Athletico Paranaense are third despite reinvesting €11.62m of Roque’s fee in new players – that’s still good enough for a whopping profit of €33.38m.

Argentine giants River Plate and Neymar’s former club Santos, who were surprisingly relegated from Serie A for the first time in their history, complete the top five, having made €25.48m and €25.07m, respectively.