Porto's £270m XI of former stars featuring Luis Diaz, Hulk and Man Utd flop

Some clubs would object to being referred to as a “selling club”, but FC Porto have found a way to embrace their reputation by unearthing talent before offloading players for premium transfer fees.

Over the years, the Portuguese giants have made a habit of finding talent and moving them on to some of Europe’s biggest clubs. That is in large part down to their impressive scouting network in South America, combined with their long-standing tradition of giving opportunities to players from the club’s academy.

They are not the only Portuguese club to engage in flogging their players for inflated fees — Benfica sold Darwin Nunez to Liverpool this summer for a hefty £85m including add-ons. And like their league rivals, Porto have made a fortune from this practice, with some star performers making their names at the Estadio do Dragao.

One can only wonder where Porto might be now had they had elected to keep the talent they sold on, with a starting XI worth £270m in transfer fees for good measure. In 1996, the club decided to cash in on experienced stopper Vitor Baia, who joined Barcelona in a £6m deal and their current stopper, Diogo Costa, could easily surpass that fee if sold in the future.

Their defensive talents have also been important in earning the club a lucrative payday. Ricardo Carvalho was one of the first Portuguese players to join Jose Mourinho ’s revolution at Chelsea in a £20m deal and the centre-back proved to be a shrewd signing, winning three Premier League titles in his six years in west London.

It was at Real Madrid where he joined Pepe. The Brazilian-born defender has gone on to become one of the most recognisable defensive players since the turn of the century due to his aggressive style of play.