Eintracht Frankfurt: The club making profits out of strikers

Eintracht Frankfurt has become one of Europe’s most efficient breeding grounds for strikers, turning undervalued or overlooked talents into global stars—and generating massive profits in the process. The latest example is Hugo Ekitike, sold to Liverpool for €90 million plus bonuses, after just one breakout season.

From PSG Flop to Premier League Move: The Ekitike Turnaround

Written off at Paris Saint-Germain, the 23-year-old joined Frankfurt last summer for €16.5 million, following a €3.5 million loan move. In one season, he registered 22 goals and 11 assists in 48 appearances, reviving his career spectacularly. His performance convinced Liverpool to make a blockbuster move this Wednesday.

Randal Kolo Muani: €95M Windfall from a Free Transfer

Perhaps the most stunning deal came in 2023, when PSG paid €95 million to land Randal Kolo Muani. The French forward had arrived at Frankfurt on a free transfer from Nantes just one year prior and exploded onto the scene with 15 Bundesliga goals and 11 assists, helped by his 2022 World Cup performance.

Omar Marmoush: From Free Signing to €75M Sale

Another shrewd bit of business followed in 2024. Frankfurt signed Omar Marmoush from Wolfsburg on a free transfer in 2023. A year and a half later, after scoring 15 goals and adding 9 assists in just 17 league matches, he was sold to Manchester City for €75 million in January 2025.

Markus Krösche: The Architect Behind Frankfurt’s Transfer Model

Sporting director Markus Krösche, appointed in June 2021, has played a pivotal role in these deals. Known for his negotiating toughness, Krösche avoids release clauses, holds firm in transfer talks, and ensures that Frankfurt never sells players at a loss. His strategy has helped the club extract maximum value from every deal. "We are a club in between, who sell to those end clubs," Kröschesaid in an interview with Sky Sports, referring to the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and Liverpool. "This is what I tell my players: if your development is faster than our development as a club, and I get the money I expect, I will let you go. Selling players is part of my job. I am not emotional about it. It's business", he said.

Even before Krösche's 2021 appointment, in summer 2019, Frankfurt more than tripled their original investments when they sold Sebastien Haller and Luka Jovic in the same window. Andre Silva, who replaced them in that summer, left for almost eight times the price at which he was purchased in the summer of 2020, after scoring 29 league goals in the ensuing campaign.

Jovic, Haller, Silva & Lindstrom: Profits Long Before the Recent Boom

The trend began well before 2023. In 2019, Frankfurt exercised a buy option on Luka Jovic from Benfica and sold him to Real Madrid for over €40 million. They also flipped Sébastien Haller to West Ham for €50 million after buying him for just €12 million. Further profits came with the €23M sale of André Silva in 2022 and Jesper Lindstrom’s €30M departure in 2024.

€345m in Net Profit in Six Years

With the sale of Hugo Ekitike now complete, Frankfurt’s net transfer profit since summer 2023 stands at an astounding €161 million. These figures reflect not just a financial triumph, but a well-executed sporting vision. When Ekitike is factored in and only accounting for the centre-forwards they have sold, Frankfurt have made a profit of around €345million(€345m300m/$450m at current rates) in just six years.

Despite the high turnover of talent, Eintracht Frankfurt has remained competitive. Since the 2021–2022 season, they’ve continued to improve, having won the UEFA Europa League in 2022 and culminating in Champions League qualification last season.