Van Dijk, Maguire, Fofana: The 10 most expensive defenders in football history

Who are the 10 most expensive defenders in football history?

Well, in the crazy, money-mad world that football operates within today, it’s probably no surprise to you that there is little room for the old greats in the current top 10.

Even Rio Ferdinand, who Manchester United smashed the British transfer record to sign in 2001 for £41 million, is no longer a viable candidate.

Instead, each and every transfer on the list happened within the previous five years, with three coming this very summer.

Chelsea’s new owner, Todd Boehly, is partly to thank for the that. The American clearly wanted to leave his mark on the club early doors and spent eye-watering sums of money on the squad, more than any other Premier League club ever has in a single transfer window before.

The total sum of Chelsea’s incomings came to roughly £270 million and saw the club sign stars like Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella.

Of which the latter two (Fofana and Cucurella) both feature in the top 10 thanks to the hefty price tags that came with their services.

But how do they compare in the rankings to the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Harry Maguire and other high-profile defender transfers that have taken place previously?

View the full top 10 below.

10. Joao Cancelo (Juventus > Man City) – €65m 9. Marc Cucurella (Brighton > Chelsea) – €65.3m8. Achraf Hakimi (Inter > PSG) – €66.5m 7. Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus > Bayern) – €67m6. Ruben Dias (Benfica > Man City) – €71.6m5. Lucas Hernandez (Atletico > Bayern) – €80m 4. Wesley Fofana (Leicester > Chelsea) – €82.5m3. Virgil van Dijk (Southampton > Liverpool) – €84.7m2. Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax > Juventus) – €85.5m1. Harry Maguire (Leicester >