According to reports from The Telegraph yesterday morning, Chelsea are expecting to take around £18million from Fiorentina when they let Mohamaed Salah join the Serie A club permanently at the end of next season – a £7million mark-up on the original investment they made in January 2014.
The news will be no huge surprise to Blues fans. Their club has become one of the most successful farming operations in Europe over the last few years, using loan spells to add huge value to the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne before selling them on at a significant profit.
Salah was acquired from FC Basel in January 2014 for £11million with future profits seemingly in mind, and after limited opportunities at Stamford Bridge now finds himself on loan in Florence, as part of the deal that saw Juan Cuadrado move the other way, where he’s scored seven goals in twelve appearances.
Prior reports had claimed Chelsea would sanction a permanent move for just £9.5million, but sources from within the club – according to The Telegraph, that is – have insisted his transfer fee would be almost double that figure.
Although it may be a drop in the ocean when compared to Roman Abramovich’s huge wealth, that effectively gives Chelsea another £7million-worth of transfer market maneuver under UEFA’S Financial Fair Play regulations.