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Finding the next superstar can be difficult in today’s market and even when you discover a gem, fierce competition means the price soon rockets.
Clubs are now demanding extortionate prices for young players in a bid to fend of the biggest clubs, with clubs like Ajax looking to capitalise on a short window to succeed before their team is picked apart.
In a deal that could rise to more than £120m, Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona in 2017 as a 20-year-old.
Borussia Dortmund will see that deal as a good value, especially considering they paid just £8m to sign Jadon Sancho from Manchester City as his replacement.
And with Manchester United and Real Madrid interested in Sancho, the Germans may make an even bigger profit when they sell the England international.
Top 50 most valuable Under-20 playersShow all 51 1 /51Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players The CIES Football Observatory have used their algorithm to produce the top 50 most valuable players
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 49. Pietro Pellegri, 18, Monaco - £7.7m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 49. Sofiane Diop, 18, Monaco - £7.7m
REUTERS
Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 48. Moussa Sylla, 19, Monaco - £7.9m
REUTERS
Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 47. Wooyeong Jeong, 19, Bayern Munich - £8.2m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 46. Joe Willock, 19, Arsenal - £8.4m
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 45. Oliver Skipp, 18, Tottenham - £8.5m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 43. Morgan Gibbs-White, 19, Wolves - £8.6m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 43. Riqui Puig, 19, Barcelona - £8.6m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 42. Tyler Adams, 20, RB Leipzig - £8.7m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 41. Juan Hernandez, 20, Huesca - £9.2m
EPA
Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 40. Ben Woodburn, 19, Liverpool - £9.3m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 38. Alessandro Bastoni, 20, Parma - £9.8m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 38. Yan Valery, 20, Southampton - £9.8m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 37. Ethan Ampadu, 18, Chelsea - £10.3m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 36. Arne Maier, 20, Hertha Berlin - £10.6m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 35. Eddie Nketiah, 19, Arsenal - £10.8m
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 34. Malang Sarr, 20, Nice - £10.9m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 33. Rafael Leao, 19, Lille - £11.1m
REUTERS
Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 32. Brahim Diaz, 19, Real Madrid - £11.5m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 31. Benoit Badiashile, 18, Monaco - £12.2m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 30. Alphonso Davies, 18, Bayern Munich - £12.8m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 29. Hamed Traore, 19, Empoli - £12.9m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 28. Jean-Clair Todibo, 19, Barcelona - £13m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 26. Matheus Cunha, 19, RB Leipzig - £13.3m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 26. Moussa Diaby, 19, PSG -
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 25. Diego Lainez, 18. Real Betis - £13.7m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 24. Fran Beltran, 20, Celta Vigo - £14.7m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 23. Ferran Torres, 19, Valencia - £15.3m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 22. Dan-Axel Zagadou, 19, Borussia Dortmund - £16.7m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 20. Moise Kean, 19, Juventus - £17.35m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 20. Callum Hudson-Odoi, 18, Chelsea - £17.35m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 19. Ozan Kabak, 19, Stuttgart - £17.8m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 18. Phil Foden, 18, Man City - £18.7m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 17. Boubacar Kamara, 19, Marseille - £22.7m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 16. Alban Lafont, 20, Fiorentina - £24.2m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 15. Dwight McNeil, 19, Burnley - £24.5m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 14. Pedro Porro, 19, Girona - £25.1m
EPA
Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 13. Diogo Dalot, 20, Manchester United - £25.8m
Man Utd via Getty Images
Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 12. Samuel Chukwueze, 19, Villarreal - £29.9m
EPA
Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 11. Ibrahima Konate, 20, RB Leipzig - £34.2m
REUTERS
Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 10. Ryan Sessegnon, 19, Fulham - £37.2m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 9. Evan N'Dicka, 19, Frankfurt - £37.7m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 8. Justin Kluivert, 20, Roma - £37.9m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 7. Vinicius Junior, 18, Real Madrid - £47m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 6. Gianluigi Donnarumma, 20, AC Milan - £50.8m
EPA
Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 5. Declan Rice, 20, West Ham - £54.9m
Action Images via Reuters
Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 4. Kai Havertz, 19, Bayer Leverkusen - £55m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 3. Nicolo Zaniolo, 19, Roma - £57.6m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 2. Matteo Guendouzi, 20, Arsenal - £60m
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Top 50 most valuable Under-20 players 1. Jadon Sancho, 19, Borussia Dortmund - £128.5m
EPA
Here are the top 50 most valuable players in Europe based on estimated transfer fees, according to the CIES Football Observatory.
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