An Xl of Man City academy graduates sold for £478m, including four current Chelsea stars | OneFootball

Manchester City have several world-class players in the first-team squad, and their academy has also become a goldmine of talent.

The likes of Phil Foden and Nico O’Reilly are current regulars at the Etihad, while other academy graduates have impressed elsewhere.

We’ve compiled an XI of their academy graduates who have been involved in multi-million-pound sales, either by City or another club. Note: When players have been sold a few times, we’ve used the biggest transfer fee.

GK: James Trafford – £31m

Trafford came through the City academy and had loan spells at Accrington Stanley and Bolton before joining Burnley on a permanent deal in 2023.

The goalkeeper won the PFA Championship Player of the Year award with the Clarets in 2024-25 and his performances convinced City to bring him back to the club in a £31million deal.

He played second fiddle to Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 2025-26 campaign, but did still start in their Carabao Cup and FA Cup final victories.

The 23-year-old now looks set to leave the Etihad once again in search of regular first-team football and is in talks with Leeds United.

RB: Jeremie Frimpong – £29.5m

After joining City’s academy at the age of 10, Frimpong made it all the way to under-23 level but never turned out for the senior team.

The Netherlands international left the Etihad in the summer of 2019, and went from strength to strength during his time at Celtic and Bayer Leverkusen.

He returned to the north west of England last summer when Liverpool triggered the £29.5million release clause in his Leverkusen contract.

The 25-year-old struggled with injuries in a difficult debut season at Anfield and will now look to become a key player under Andoni Iraola.

CB: Taylor Harwood-Bellis – £20m

A boyhood City fan, Harwood-Bellis was part of their FA Youth Cup-winning side in 2020 and made eight first-team appearances for the club.

He had loan spells at Blackburn, Anderlecht, Stoke, Burnley and Southampton, before joining the latter in a permanent deal worth £20million in the summer of 2024.

The centre-back is now vice-captain at St Mary’s, but could soon be on the move again with reported interest from Hull City, Coventry City and West Ham.

CB: Jahmai Simpson-Pusey – £6.4m

Simpson-Pusey captained City to FA Youth Cup success in 2023-24 and was then named the Premier League 2 Player of the Season in the following campaign.

The centre-back also made six first-team appearances for City in 2024-25, including two in the Champions League.

He spent the second half of the 2025-26 season on loan at Bundesliga side FC Koln, who have now signed him on a permanent deal that could be worth up to £6.4million.

LB: Kieran Trippier – £20m

Trippier won the FA Youth Cup with City back in 2007-08, but his path to the first team was blocked by Pablo Zabaleta and Micah Richards.

The right-back opted to leave in 2011 and has since made over 200 Premier League appearances across spells at Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

But the most expensive move of his career saw him join Atletico Madrid from Tottenham for £20million in the summer of 2019.

The England international spent two-and-a-half seasons in Madrid and helped Diego Simeone’s side win the LaLiga title in 2020-21.

CDM: Romeo Lavia – £58m

Lavia left Anderlecht at the age of 16 to join City’s academy and spent two years at the club before being sold to Southampton.

Despite being relegated in his debut season with the Saints in 2022-23, he established himself as one of the best young talents in the Premier League.

Chelsea fought off competition from Liverpool to sign the midfielder in a deal worth an initial £53million and another £5million in add-ons.

He has endured an injury-plagued time at Stamford Bridge, making just 43 appearances in all competitions across his first three seasons with the club.

CM: Cole Palmer – £42.5m

Palmer netted the winning goal in City’s FA Youth Cup final against Chelsea in 2020 and went on to score six goals in 41 appearances for the first team.

He looked to leave the club on loan in the summer of 2023 but City decided to cash in, selling him to Chelsea for an initial £40million and another £2.5million in add-ons.

The England international enjoyed a sensational debut season at Stamford Bridge, registering 25 goals and 15 assists in 45 appearances in all competitions.

He’s since helped the club win the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup, and will now look to achieve more success under Xabi Alonso.

CM: Morgan Rogers – £117m

Alongside Palmer, Rogers also scored against Chelsea in that FA Youth Cup final victory.

But he didn’t break into City’s first team, spending time on loan at Lincoln City, Bournemouth and Blackpool before completing a permanent move to Middlesbrough.

The 23-year-old was snapped up by Aston Villa in January 2024 and went on to win the PFA Young Player of the Year award in his first full season at Villa Park, before lifting the Europa League in 2025-26.

Rogers will now play alongside Palmer once again after Chelsea paid Villa a club-record £117million, making him the most expensive British player of all time.

RW: Michael Olise – £50.8m

Alongside his time in the academies at Arsenal and Chelsea, Olise also had a brief one-year spell at City but failed to settle at the club.

“At City, it was because his teammates laughed at him,” former Reading manager Jose Gomes said. “He had weak arms, and English boys were strong. When the fitness coach told them to do push-ups, he struggled a lot, and his teammates mocked him. He felt humiliated and left.”

The winger made his breakthrough at Reading and also had a brilliant three-year stint at Crystal Palace before joining Bayern Munich in 2024 in a deal worth up to £50.8million.

He’s now regarded as one of the best players in the world, and Bayern Munich reportedly value him at around £200million amid interest from Real Madrid.

LW: Jadon Sancho – £73m

Sancho spent two seasons at City’s academy, but turned down a professional contract and moved to Germany at the age of 17 to join Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund put the winger straight into their first-team squad, and he developed into one of the most exciting talents in European football.

He returned to Manchester in the summer of 2021 but with City’s bitter rivals, who paid a £73million fee to secure his signature.

The 26-year-old failed to live up to expectations at Manchester United and is now looking for a new club following the expiration of his contract.

ST: Liam Delap – £30m

Despite being a prolific goalscorer at youth level and starting in the 2020 FA Youth Cup final, Delap made just six appearances for City’s first team.

He completed a permanent move to Ipswich Town in the summer of 2024 and enjoyed an impressive breakthrough season in the Premier League, scoring 12 goals in 37 top-flight appearances.

Chelsea triggered the £30million release clause in his contract following Ipswich’s relegation, but the 23-year-old struggled in 2025-26 and now faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge.