As CIES Football Observatory released its top 100 most valuable players list, Leicester City sees two of the club’s prodigious talents rank among Europe’s elite.

The biannual compilation by CIES, the research arm within International Center for Sport Studies based in Switzerland, takes into consideration different factors such as age, performance, club and country represented, contract duration etc. in order to substantiate a market value.

  • Harvey Barnes: 100/100 – €53 million

Product of the City academy, Harvey Barnes’ presence this season has lit up King Power Stadium in the absence of supporters. He made his debut for Leicester in their 5-0 defeat in the UEFA Champions League to Porto FC in 2016/17.

Barnes was shipped off the same season on loan to League One club Milton Keynes Dons. On the back of impressive performances for the club, he was awarded the MK Dons’ Young Player of the Year 2016/17 Award. At the time, his value was estimated to be approximately €100,000.

The following seasons saw him through loan spells at Barnsley and West Bromwich Albion, after signing a four-year contract with his boyhood club. Barnes was valued at €1.5m during his stay at West Brom, and eventually witnessed a spike in value as he returned home to the Foxes.

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In January of 2019, Harvey Barnes was recalled to Leicester and scored his first senior goal for the club in a 2-2 draw with West Ham United. At the end of the year, the talented winger was worth €22m.

This season has seen him live up to his full potential as a regular feature, most recently banging in significant goals against Manchester United and Crystal Palace. The Burnley born lad is now on the European radar with an estimated €53m net worth.

  • Youri Tielemans: 58/100 – €70 million

The Belgian youngster’s career began at RSC Anderlecht. Signing his professional contract with the club aged just 16, Youri Tielemans was valued at just €1m to begin with.

Just over a year later, his transfer market value rose twelve times, as he featured regularly for the Purple & Whites over the next couple of seasons. Tielemans’ presence in the center half was instrumental in Anderlecht’s success, helping them conquer the Belgian Pro League in 2013/14 and 2016/17.

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In 2017, AS Monaco signed him for a fee of €25m and the Belgian midfielder went on to cap 65 times for the Ligue 1 champions. Although he didn’t hit the heights expected, the best was yet to come.

The Foxes pounced upon the opportunity to secure the Belgian on loan in early 2019, with Portuguese Adrien Silva going the other way in a swap move. In mid-2019, Brendan Rodgers secured Tielemans as one of his first transfers in a €45m record deal.

Going from strength to strength and now worth a whopping €70m, Youri Tielemans is an undisputed anchor in Rodgers’ team. He has played 22 matches and registered 1,832 minutes this season out of a possible 1,980 minutes across all competitions.

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