Three of the top 10 most expensive transfers involving defenders took place during 2022 with two of the deals involving Chelsea.
After splurging on Brighton & Hove Albion’s left wingback Marc Cucurella, the Blues shelled out major cash for Leicester City’s Wesley Fofana who was signed on the eve of Transfer Deadline Day in September. Earlier in the summer, Matthijs de Ligt moved from Juventus to Bayern Munich for the seventh highest fee all-time.
Alongside those names was a move for Jules Kounde from Sevilla to Barcelona and Lisandro Martinez joining his former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
However, there is major speculation over a new leader on the defensive list this summer, as Manchester City look to secure an £77.4 million /$98.3 million deal for RB Leipzig lynchpin Josko Gvardiol and his arrival could trigger another huge defensive transfer if Aymeric Laporte moves on.
The Sporting News brings you an overview of the top 15 most expensive defenders.
MORE: Who is Fabrizio Romano? Get to know the transfer guru
Who are the most expensive defenders in history?
Harry Maguire of Manchester United remains the most expensive defender to date following his move from Leicester City in 2019.
After a positive start to life at Old Trafford, Maguire has been weighed down by the size of his transfer fee and his place in Ten Hag’s long-term plans remains unclear.
The fee Man City will pay for Gvardiol is reportedly €90 million, but, when figures are adjusted to inflation, this would put the Croatia international behind Maguire in this list.
Two Dutch defenders appear next, as De Ligt’s move from Ajax to Juventus in 2019 ranks second, and Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool is third.
Van Dijk has been a prime example of a player who has lived up to his fee, proving a key contributor to a host of Liverpool trophies under Jurgen Klopp and developing into one of the top defenders in the world.
(Note: Transfer fees courtesy of Transfermarkt)
| Rank | Player | Date | From | To | Transfer Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Harry Maguire | Aug. 5, 2019 | Leicester City | Man United | €87m (£78.3m / $95.7m) |
| 2. | Matthijs de Ligt | July 18, 2019 | Ajax | Juventus | €85.5m (£76.9m / $94.1m) |
| 3. | Virgil van Dijk | Jan. 1, 2018 | Southampton | Liverpool | €84.6m (£76.2m / $93.1m) |
| 4. | Wesley Fofana | Aug. 31, 2022 | Southampton | Liverpool | €82.5m (£74.3m / $90.8m) |
| 5. | Lucas Hernandez | July 1, 2019 | Atletico Madrid | Bayern Munich | €80m (£72m / $88m) |
| 6. | Ruben Dias | Sep. 29, 2020 | Benfica | Man City | €71.6m (£64.4m / $78.8m) |
| 7. | Matthijs de Ligt | July 19, 2022 | Juventus | Bayern Munich | €67m (£60.3m / $73.7m) |
| 8. | Achraf Hakimi | July 6, 2021 | Inter Milan | PSG | €66.5m (£59.9m / $73.2m) |
| 9. | Marc Cucurella | Aug. 5, 2022 | Brighton | Chelsea | €65.3 (£58.8m / $71.8m) |
| 10. | Aymeric Laporte | Jan. 30, 2018 | Athletic Club | Man City | €65m (£58.5m / $71.5m) |
| Joao Cancelo | Aug. 7, 2019 | Juventus | Man City | €65m (£58.5m / $71.5m) | |
| 12. | Ben White | July 30, 2021 | Brighton | Arsenal | €58.5m (£52.7m / $64.4m) |
| 13. | Benjamin Mendy | July 24, 2017 | Monaco | Man City | €57.5m (£51.8m / $63.3m) |
| 14. | Lisandro Martinez | July 27, 2022 | Ajax | Man United | €57.4m (£51.6m / $63.1m) |
| 15. | John Stones | Aug. 6, 2016 | Everton | Man City | €55.6m (£50m / $61.2m) |
Other expensive defender transfers
While the top-10 list provides a snapshot of the most recent ballooning of transfer fees at the upper echelons of the global game, it has also shoved aside a number of significant transfers involving defenders in modern football.
The following list is a brief overview of some of the most notable past deals that made waves for the transfer fee.
Rio Ferdinand
- From: Leeds United
- To: Manchester United
- Date: July 22, 2002
- Fee: $50.6 million
Rio Ferdinand was transferred for a high sum twice in his career, setting the transfer record for a defender at the time when he moved from QPR to Leeds United in November of 2000 for £18 million (€20.8m / $21.9m).
Still, it was his move to Manchester United two years later that set the tone for the years to come. It made Ferdinand the most expensive British footballer in history at the time, but Manchester United managed to secure a significant return on their investment as Ferdinand captained the team to domestic and international glory.
Ferdinand’s record for a defender’s transfer would stand for 12 years, an eternity in the football world, only broken in 2014 by David Luiz’s move from Chelsea to PSG.
Alessandro Nesta
- From: Lazio
- To: AC Milan
- Date: July 5, 2002
- Fee: $34.1 million
In the same summer as Ferdinand’s move to Man United, Alessandro Nesta made the switch from Lazio to AC Milan. He was 26 years old at the time, and would spend the next 10 years at the club before a brief spell at the Montreal Impact.
The transfer fee could have been even higher had Lazio had any leverage, but with the club strapped for cash, they were forced to take the deal to help shore up the books.
Sergio Ramos
- From: Sevilla
- To: Real Madrid
- Date: Aug. 31, 2005
- Fee: $29.7 million
Three years later after that wild summer of 2002, a 19-year-old Sergio Ramos was transferred to Real Madrid. The fee didn’t come close to Ferdinand, or even Nesta’s haul, but no defender would reach Ferdinand’s fee until 2014.
Still, Ramos’s transfer fee would rank fourth all-time for a defender at the time of his move. Ramos would become a legend at Real Madrid, earning his fee back and then some with his on-field accomplishments.
Premier League 2023/24 TV channels, live streams
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | — | |
| Hong Kong | — | Now TV |
| India | Star Sports | Disney+, Hotstar, JioTV |
| Malaysia | Astro SuperSport | Astro Go |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport | Sky Sport Now, Sky Go |
| Singapore | StarHub | StarHub TV+ |
| UK | Sky Sports, TNT Sports | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime |
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo |
Fubo, Peacock |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and TNT Sports streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on Fubo. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streamed exclusively via Fubo in Canada.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.
India: Star Sports network has the rights to show Premier League matches in India. As well as an English broadcast on Star Sports Select, select matches will be available via regional feeds on Star Sports 3 (in Bengali, English, Kannada, Malayalam), Star Sports 1 (Bangla) and Star Sports 1 (Tamil).