Palmer up to €55m 

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The Premier League is widely considered as the strongest league in world football at this moment in time – it has the highest cumulative value of any league by some distance, and teams from England won both the Champions League (Manchester City) and the Europa Conference League (West Ham) last season. Given the pressure for managers to get instant results in the English top-flight, at times opportunities for younger players are limited, but there are still a group of elite youngsters taking to the Premier League like a duck to water.

In the latest Premier League market value update on March 14, the league increased its total value by around €240 million to take the division to a staggering €11.09 billion market value, with lots of rises for the leagues youthful talents. But who are the top 10 most valuable U21 players in the Premier League? 

1. Jérémy Doku – Manchester City – 21 years old – €65m: Jérémy Doku took no time adapting to Pep Guardiola’s style of play, slotting straight into the left-wing of Man City’s attack, often ahead of Jack Grealish. He even equalled a Premier League record, registering four assists in one game in a 6-1 win against Bournemouth. Performance levels have slightly dropped since the turn of the year, but at 21 years of age, the future is bright for the Belgian.

2. Rasmus Højlund – Manchester United – 21 years old – €65m: It’s been a tale of two years so far for Rasmus Højlund at Manchester United so far. Whilst the young Dane failed to score in first 11 Premier League games in 2023, his form was electric in 2024, kick started by his first league goal against Aston Villa in late December, before an injury hampered his progress. Højlund scored seven goals in six games in that prolific run.

3. Evan Ferguson – Brighton – 19 years old – €60m: Evan Ferguson broke onto the scene last season, and scored six Premier League goals in his debut campaign in the English top-flight for Brighton. At the start of this season, he continued his progression, and scored six in just 11 starts, including a hat-trick against Newcastle, but has struggles for game-time in recent months. The young Irish forward has been linked with many of Europe’s top clubs. The lack of game-time has led to a €5m decrease in market value for Ferguson.

4. Cole Palmer – Chelsea – 21 years old – €55m: Cole Palmer has been a revelation at Chelsea this season. Surrounded by mega money signings who aren’t bringing the consistency their price tag merits, the former Man City man is the one standing out for the Blues. Already this season, the young attacking midfielder has 11 goals and eight assists in the Premier League, and is widely expected to be part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad at the Euros this summer. A huge €10m market value increase in March’s latest update has been fully justified. 

5. Levi Colwill – Chelsea – 21 years old – €50m: Despite another disastrous season for Chelsea, in which the Blues sit 11th in the Premier League and have shipped 45 goals in 27 games, Levi Colwill has made some positive progress. After a steady season on loan at Brighton, he has forced his way into the Chelsea defence and made 23 league appearances for the Blues this season, as well as making his debut for England back in October against Australia. Colwill dropped by €5m in market value in the latest update.

6. Destiny Udogie – Tottenham – 21 years old – €45m: Following his loan at Fiorentina last season, not many expected Destiny Udogie to have such an instant impact on the first team at Tottenham this campaign. However, the Italian has been an integral part of Ange Postecoglou’s defence, also contributing two goals and three assists from defence. The 21 year old rose by €5m in value in the latest update.

7. Alejandro Garnacho – Manchester United – 19 years old – €40m: When Alejandro Garnacho scored his mesmerising overhead kick against Everton in November, the watching world was left speechless at what the teenager had pulled off. The goal already won the league’s goal of the month award, and is touted as a strong early contender for goal of the season. Since then, Garnacho has been a regular starter for Man United, and been a star performer in an underperforming Man United team.

8. Roméo Lavia – Chelsea – 20 years old – €40m: After choosing Stamford Bridge over Anfield, Roméo Lavia hasn’t had the start to his Chelsea career that he would have wanted following his €62.1m move form Southampton this summer. Lavia has feature in just one Premier League game for his new club after the Belgian suffered an ankle injury in training early on. Due to his lack of playing time, Lavia drops by €10m in market value this March.

9. Pape Matar Sarr – Tottenham – 21 years old – €40m: Another star performer in Tottenham’s team this season, Pape Matar Sarr’s energy in midfield has been key to Postecoglou’s set-up. The Senegalese international has three goals and three assists in the Premier League this term, and saw his market value rise by €5m in the latest Premier league market value update.

10. Rico Lewis – Manchester City – 19 years old – €38m: Rico Lewis made his England debut aged 18 in November, and it was indicative of his start to life with the Man City first-team. The full-back, who is capable of inverting or even playing in midfield is one of the most highly regarded young players in Europe. Lewis received an €18m increase in value back in December’s market value update, and retains his value this time around.

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