After Sunderland returned to the Premier League for the first time in eight years in 2025, they spent big in the transfer market.
The Black Cats spent more than £150m on new players, but also brought in several Stadium of Light stars.
Here are Sunderland’s top 20 all-time sales, along with details of the top 10.
Sunderland’s biggest ever sale | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
rank | player | commission | Sales destination | year |
1 | jove bellingham | £27.8 million | borussia dortmund | 2025 |
2 | jordan pickford | £25m | everton | 2017 |
3 | jordan henderson | £20 million | liverpool | 2011 |
4 | Darren Bent | £18m | Aston Villa | 2011 |
5 | jack clark | £15 million | ipswich | 2024 |
6 | patrick van aanholt | £12 million | crystal palace | 2017 |
7 | Simon Mignolet | £11 million | liverpool | 2013 |
8 | tom watson | £10 million | brighton | 2025 |
9 | conor wickham | 9 million pounds | crystal palace | 2015 |
=10 | kenwine jones | £8 million | stoke | 2010 |
=10 | ross stewart | £8 million | southampton | 2023 |
=12 | Wabi Kazuri | £6 million | Saint Etienne | 2018 |
=12 | Gyan Asamoah Gyan | £6 million | Al Ain | 2012 |
14 | Stephane Sessegnon | £5.5 million | west brom | 2013 |
15 | Fabio Borini | £5.3 million | ac milan | 2017 |
=16 | Pierre Equa | 5 million pounds | Saint Etienne | 2024 |
=16 | paddy mcnair | 5 million pounds | middlesbrough | 2018 |
=16 | don hutchison | 5 million pounds | west ham | 2001 |
=16 | michael bridges | 5 million pounds | leeds | 1999 |
20 | Sebastian Coates | £4.25 million | Sports CP | 2017 |
10
kenwine jones
£8m to Stoke, 2010
Topping the top 10 list is Kenwyne Jones, who joined the Stadium of Light from Southampton in 2007.
The powerful forward played in over 100 games for the Black Cats, scoring 28 points. The Trinidad and Tobago striker apparently loved playing in the red and white stripes as he later joined Stoke City.
9
conor wickham
£9m for Crystal Palace, 2015
Connor Wickham has made more appearances for Sunderland than any of the other 10 clubs he has represented throughout his career, with the forward spending four years in the North East.
Wickham was sold to Crystal Palace in 2015 after signing for around £8m, but was plagued by a number of injuries at Selhurst Park.
8
tom watson
£10m to Brighton, 2025
Tom Watson was Sunderland’s play-off hero in Wembley vs. Sheffield United. His final kick as a Black Cats player was the winning goal in stoppage time, sealing the club’s victory.
A deal with Brighton has already been completed, with Watson set to head south for £10m.
7
Simon Mignolet
£11m to Liverpool, 2013
Simon Mignolet’s first taste of English football was at Sunderland, who signed the goalkeeper from Club Brugge in 2010 for just £2 million.
The manager at the time was Steve Bruce, and Mignolet went on to make over 100 appearances before being sold to Liverpool for a handsome profit.
6
patrick van aanholt
£12m for Crystal Palace, 2017
Two years after signing Wickham, Crystal Palace called Sunderland again, this time signing left-back Patrick van Aanholt.
Sunderland, who won with Chelsea, became Van Aanholt’s next home, but it cost less than £2 million. Three years later, the Black Cats paid £10m for the fleet-footed Dutch full-back.
5
jack clark
£15m to Ipswich, 2024
Jack Clarke got his career back on track at Sunderland after a failed move from Leeds to Tottenham.
The winger initially helped the Black Cats gain promotion from League One and would spend two full seasons at the Stadium of Light before Ipswich Town offered him Premier League football in a deal worth £15 million.
4
Darren Bent
£18m to Aston Villa, 2011
Darren Bent, who scored a beach ball goal against Liverpool at the Stadium of Light in 2009, scored 24 Premier League goals in his first season as a Sunderland player.
With an initial fee of £10m from Spurs, Sunderland could only keep Bent for 18 months, and after submitting a transfer request he was sold to Aston Villa for £18m.
3
jordan henderson
£20m for Liverpool, 2011
A Sunderland fan since childhood, Jordan Henderson came through the club’s academy and later captained the Black Cats, making 79 appearances before moving to Liverpool.
The Reds paid £20 million for the midfielder, who he later captained at Anfield and won the Premier League and Champions League.
2
jordan pickford
£25m to Everton, 2017
Another Black Cats supporter who came through Sunderland’s academy and made a fortune for the club was goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
England’s number one made just 35 first-team appearances at the Stadium of Light and was loaned out to six different teams as a youngster before Everton offered him £25 million.
1
jove bellingham
£27.8m to Borussia Dortmund, 2025
Topping Sunderland’s record turnover list is Jobe Bellingham, who followed in the footsteps of his older brother Jude and joined Borussia Dortmund.
Bellingham made 90 appearances for the Black Cats, his last coming in the play-off final, and scored 11 goals, leaving him with a transfer fee of just under £28 million at the age of 19.
