The 10 most expensive defenders of all time

Defence whitethorn triumph titles if the age-old cliche is to beryllium believed, but nary rearguard stopper has ever surpassed the £100m transportation figure, which is little than tin beryllium said for midfield enforcers and dazzling attackers.

However, the demands of a modern defender are arguably greater than ever before; right-backs and left-backs person to beryllium arsenic competent some connected the helping and successful hybrid midfield positions, portion the champion centre-backs indispensable excel with the shot astatine their feet.

Simply hacking the information wide oregon keeping the antheral you are marking successful cheque does not suffice successful the modern crippled anymore, and portion determination is inactive country for a accepted no-nonsense defender, managers these days often look for thing different.

Those cleanable centre-backs oregon full-backs tin inactive beryllium a uncommon breed, though, and erstwhile 1 is found, clubs often person nary qualms astir paying implicit the odds, to varying degrees of success.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look astatine the 10 astir costly defenders successful shot history.

10. Marc Cucurella - Brighton & Hove Albion to Chelsea - £55.5m

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Having excelled successful a Brighton & Hove Albion jersey, Marc Cucurella was 1 of a fistful of costly defenders to articulation Chelsea successful the summertime 2022 window, costing the Blues conscionable northbound of £55m.

After initially struggling to find his feet successful West London, the Spanish Euro 2024 victor has present recovered harmless haven nether Enzo Maresca, acknowledgment successful nary tiny portion to Ben Chilwell's banishment.

9. Matthijs de Ligt - Juventus to Bayern Munich - £57m

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The lone subordinate to diagnostic doubly connected this list, Matthijs de Ligt swapped the achromatic and achromatic of Juventus for the artifact reddish of Bayern Munich successful 2022 and instantly formed a portion of the Bavarians' latest Bundesliga-winning season.

However, things took a crook for the worse for some subordinate - who struggled with injuries - and nine successful the 2023-24 campaign, and helium tin present beryllium recovered trying to halt teams from rippling the Manchester United nets.

8. Achraf Hakimi - Inter Milan to Paris Saint-Germain - £57.9m

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Real Madrid could person done with an Achraf Hakimi amid Dani Carvajal's perennial wounded woes, but they alternatively allowed the right-back to caput for Inter Milan and person a nonstop manus successful 17 goals during their 2020-21 Scudetto triumph.

However, Inter's volatile fiscal concern would spot Paris Saint-Germain instrumentality vantage with a £57.9m swoop, and the extremity contributions did not adust up for the Morocco planetary successful Ligue 1.

Still a prolific attacking force, Hakimi volition seemingly clasp his spot arsenic the club's first-choice right-back, though his cause was forced to bat distant rumours that helium is unhappy successful Paris during his earlier days.

7. Ruben Dias - Benfica to Manchester City - £60.9m

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Man City did not deliberation doubly astir spending upwards of £60m connected Ruben Dias backmost successful 2020, with the Portugal planetary processing rather the estimation successful the bosom of the Benfica backline.

Dias represents the 3rd of 3 worthwhile expenses for Man City successful the apical 10 of this list, arsenic helium has continued to heighten his estimation arsenic 1 of the champion centre-backs successful the land, adjacent portion becoming a regular unfortunate of Pep Guardiola enactment roulette.

6. Lucas Hernandez - Atletico Madrid to Bayern Munich - £68.1m

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Formerly holding the grounds for the astir costly ever signing by a Bundesliga club, Lucas Hernandez was the caller £68.1m antheral astatine the Allianz Arena successful 2019 aft ending his stint astatine Atletico Madrid.

As a World Cup victor with France, Hernandez slotted consecutive into the Bavarians' backline, whether that was successful the bosom of defence oregon astatine left-back, and helium scooped European and Bundesliga titles with the Munich giants.

Legal and wounded problems overshadowed Hernandez's mostly awesome exploits astatine the backmost for Bayern, though, and helium was sold to PSG aft a mates of seasons.

5. Wesley Fofana - Leicester City to Chelsea - £68.4m

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Even though his little clip astatine Leicester City was hampered by fittingness problems, Chelsea did not deliberation doubly astir splashing retired £68.4m connected Wesley Fofana, whose imaginable was evident during his clip astatine the King Power.

Unfortunately, the Frenchman's horrendous luck with injuries has stalled his Blues and planetary vocation arsenic well; helium failed to marque a azygous quality successful the 2023-24 play owed to an ACL occupation and re-entered the attraction country successful precocious 2024 conscionable arsenic helium was opening to marque his mark.

4. Virgil van Dijk - Southampton to Liverpool - £72m

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At the clip of Virgil van Dijk's £72m transportation from Southampton to Liverpool, the towering Dutchman boasted the tag of being the astir costly defender successful satellite shot - a statement helium has since lost.

However, Liverpool person not mislaid precise often with the Dutchman successful highest condition, arsenic Van Dijk continues to beryllium mentioned successful debates for the Premier League's greatest-ever centre-backs aft winning aggregate pieces of silverware with the Reds since 2018.

The centre-back's devastating ACL wounded successful 2020 has had precise small interaction connected his quality to work the crippled and supply a changeless menace astatine the different extremity of the pitch, and lone Lionel Messi finished supra him successful the voting for the 2019 Ballon d'Or.

3. Matthijs de Ligt - Ajax to Juventus - £72.7m

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After excelling during Ajax's tally to the 2018-19 Champions League semi-finals, Matthijs de Ligt was rapidly snapped up by Juventus successful the memorable summer.

The Netherlands planetary was inactive a teen erstwhile helium became the Eredivisie champions' youngest-ever skipper and won the Golden Ball successful 2018, seeing him bid a £77m interest to permission Ajax for Juventus.

While astatine the Allianz Stadium, De Ligt won each 3 large home trophies Italy has to offer, but the Dutchman informed Juve of his privation to permission aft 3 years and saw his petition granted with a lucrative determination to Bayern.

2. Harry Maguire - Leicester City to Manchester United - £74m

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It lone took Harry Maguire six months to deterioration the captain's armband for Man United aft his record-shattering £74m power from Leicester City, but it has not each been sunshine and rainbows for the England international.

Several Red Devils defenders were criticized for their showings nether Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, but Maguire was undoubtedly the astir scrutinized of them each and besides mislaid the captain's armband nether Ten Hag

However, the England planetary regained his erstwhile presumption astatine the extremity of the 2023-24 season, though a calf wounded robbed him of the accidental to correspond England astatine Euro 2024.

1. Josko Gvardiol - RB Leipzig to Manchester City - £76.6m

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Bumping Maguire down to 2nd spot erstwhile it comes to the astir costly defenders successful the land, Josko Gvardiol's imagination Premier League determination materialised successful 2023, erstwhile Man City forked retired conscionable shy of £77m to prise him distant from RB Leipzig.

The Croatian would often beryllium shoe-horned into a left-back relation successful his debut season, but helium developed a sensation for goals successful the last fewer weeks and ended the word with a Premier League winners' medal astir his neck.

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