£247m Man Utd quartet, Boehly’s gamble: Football’s most expensive defenders

Defenders may not get the same amount of credit as goalscoring forwards or playmaking midfielders, but they are important to the success of a team all the same.

As such, plenty have moved for big money over the years – but which players have garnered the largest transfer fees? Centre-backs dominate the record deals, but full-backs are also moving for huge sums in the modern game.

So with that said, we have decided to look at the most expensive defender signings plus a detailed look at the top 11, with the help of data from Transfermarkt and news reports.

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11

João Cancelo

Juventus to Man City (£60m)

In joint-10th place is full-back João Cancelo, who joined Manchester City in August 2019 for a fee of £60m from Juventus. Part of the Cancelo deal saw Danilo leave the Citizens and go the opposite way.

The Portugal international spent five years at the Etihad, during which he played 154 games, scored nine goals and recorded 21 assists. The defender was a key member of Pep Guardiola’s side in his first couple of seasons but was then replaced by new arrivals and soon fell out of favour. However, he did leave having won the Champions League, the FA Cup and three Premier League titles.

10

Marc Cucurella

Brighton to Chelsea (£60m)

Alongside Cancelo is Marc Cucurella, who joined Chelsea in August 2022 for a fee of £60m. The Blues bought the Spain international from Brighton & Hove Albion after an impressive time with the Seagulls.

The left-back has struggled to nail down a regular spot while at Stamford Bridge, as he played 24 times in the Premier League in the 2022/23 season and followed that up by playing just 21 times in the 2023/24 campaign. However, during his time at Chelsea, Cucurella established himself on the international stage and was part of the Spain team that won Euro 2024.

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9

Achraf Hakimi

Inter to PSG (£61m)

Achraf Hakimi cost Paris Saint-Germain £61m from Inter in the summer of 2021. Hakimi played a key role in the Nerazzurri winning Serie A, which earned him his big-money move to France.

The Morocco international has not only continued playing regularly and performing at the top level, but he has also continued his winning habit. Hakimi, who scored four goals and recorded six assists in his first season in Ligue 1, has won the French league and the French Super Cup three times, as well as the French Cup.

8

Rúben Dias

Benfica to Man City (£65m)

In September 2020, Man City paid Benfica £65m to secure the services of centre-back Ruben Dias. The Citizens paid an initial £62 million for the Portugal international, with a further £3m coming in add-ons. Nicolas Otamendi moved in the opposite direction in a separate deal.

Dias has turned out to be an impressive signing for City, as he has become one of the best-performing defenders in the Premier League. Since arriving at the Etihad, Dias has won four Premier Leagues, one FA Cup, one League Cup and the Champions League. He is now on course to break through 200 appearances for City.

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7

Matthijs de Ligt

Juventus to Bayern Munich (£65.6m)

Defender Matthijs de Ligt makes the top 11 twice. Making a move from Juventus to Bayern Munich in 2022, the German giants paid £65.6m to secure the signing of the Netherlands international.

De Ligt spent two seasons at Munich, during which he played 73 games, with 53 coming in the Bundesliga. During his time in Germany, De Ligt won the Bundesliga in the 2022/23 campaign.

6

Lucas Hernandez

Atlético Madrid to Bayern Munich (£68m)

Bayern Munich paid £68m in 2019 to sign full-back Lucas Hernandez from Atlético Madrid.

The deal was finalised in March of that year, but the defender didn’t join the German giants until the following summer. The 28-year-old spent four years in Germany, and despite paying a lot of money, Hernandez struggled to become a regular in the Munich side.

The 2021/22 campaign was Hernandez’s best on a personal level, as he played 25 times in the Bundesliga, as well as eight games in the Champions League.

Hernandez left Bayern having played 107 games and won the Champions League, four Bundesliga titles, a FIFA Club World Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, two German Super Cups, and one German Cup.

5

Wesley Fofana

Leicester to Chelsea (£70m)

Wesley Fofana joined Chelsea from Leicester City in a deal worth £70m in the summer of 2022.

The centre-back had his injury problems at Leicester, but that didn’t put Chelsea off from signing him on a seven-year contract.

However, unfortunately for Fofana, his injury problems have continued at Stamford Bridge, as he featured 15 times in the 2022/23 season and failed to make an appearance in the 2023/24 campaign under Mauricio Pochettino.

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4

Virgil van Dijk

Southampton to Liverpool (£75m)

It will come as no surprise to see that Virgil van Dijk has made this list, as when the Dutchman joined Liverpool in January 2018, the fee of £75m was a world-record transfer for a defender.

In many people’s eyes, Van Dijk is one of the best centre-backs to play in the Premier League, and it could be hard to argue against, as he’s played more or less every Liverpool game since joining and has been part of the sides that have won the Champions League, the Premier League, as well as several domestic cups.

He has played over 300 games for the Premier League side in his seven years at Anfield, with the centre-back more than paying back his transfer fee.

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3

Matthijs de Ligt

Ajax to Juventus (£76.5m)

Matthijs de Ligt briefly became the world’s most expensive defender following his £76.5m move from Ajax to Juventus in July 2019.

The Turin giants secured the signing of the centre-back after he broke through in the Ajax first team and was a key player in their successful run to the Champions League semi-final.

Juventus also inserted a £134.8m release clause in De Ligt’s contract. The centre-back played 117 times for Juventus and managed to win the Italian Super Cup, the Italian Cup and Serie A before departing for Bayern Munich.

2

Josko Gvardiol

RB Leipzig to Man City (£77m)

Josko Gvardiol’s move to Manchester City is one of the more recent signings in this list, as he joined the Citizens in August 2023 for a deal worth £77m.

The defender, who can play at centre-back and left-back, has become a key player at the back in Guardiola’s team and became an instant hit with the club and their supporters. Gvardiol has helped City win the Premier League, the FIFA Club World Cup and the Community Shield.

1

Harry Maguire

Leicester to Man Utd (£80m)

Harry Maguire’s move to Manchester United back in August 2019 remains the record fee spent on a defender, as the Red Devils paid Leicester City £80m.

The England defender joined on a six-year deal and has been part of the recent teams that have won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

Maguire became an instant hit at Old Trafford, playing in all 38 Premier League games in his first season. The defender was a regular under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and while he has been in and out of the team recently, he remains a key part of United’s defence.

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