€557 million. Following the sale of Rayan Cherki to Manchester City for €42.5 million, this sum represents the sales of players from Olympique Lyonnais' youth academy in the 21st century. By signing a five-year contract with Pep Guardiola's club, the French international surpasses Karim Benzema and Malo Gusto and ranks only behind Corentin Tolisso (€47.5 million), Bradley Barcola (€50 million), and Alexandre Lacazette (€60 million) for transfer fees. This impressive sum validates the investment of OL in academy development over the past three decades: 48 players trained at Lyon have generated revenue at the time of their departure, according to local media Le Progrès. This is the result of a strategy focused on attacking players, as Gérard Bonneau, a scout for over twenty years at OL, explained in a recent episode of the Vest'Air podcast. Over the same period, no club in France has earnt more through home-grown player sales.
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Rayan Cherki and Malo Gusto at the last French national team gathering / © Icon Sport