Harry Maguire has become football’s most expensive defender after completing his £80million move from Leicester to Manchester United.
Here, PA looks at the other top deals for defenders which Maguire’s move to Old Trafford has eclipsed.
Virgil Van Dijk – £75million, Southampton to Liverpool (January 1, 2018)
Eyebrows were raised when Liverpool paid Southampton a world-record £75m fee for the Holland centre-half’s services. But Van Dijk has proved an enormous success, helping Liverpool reach two Champions League finals, the latter resulting in a 2-0 victory over Tottenham.
Lucas Hernandez – £68million, Atletico Madrid to Bayern Munich (July 1, 2019)
The Marseille-born France international moved to Spain at the age of four and joined Atletico Madrid’s junior set-up seven years later. Hernandez became a World Cup winner in 2018 and he made over 100 appearances for Atletico before Bayern announced in March 2019 that he would be joining them this summer.
Matthijs De Ligt – £67.5million, Ajax to Juventus (July 18, 2019)
Benvenuto al nostro nuovo numero 4️⃣ ⚪️⚫️— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) July 19, 2019
The Dutchman joined the Ajax youth academy at the age of nine. He made his Ajax and Holland debut aged 17, quickly making the move from a deep-lying midfielder to a centre-back. De Ligt played over 100 games and captained a young Ajax side into the semi-finals of the Champions League before joining Juventus a month before his 20th birthday.
Aymeric Laporte – £57million, Athletic Bilbao to Manchester City (January 30, 2018)
The French centre-half has Basque heritage and joined Athletic Bilbao at the age of 16. Also able to play left-back, Laporte made 220 appearances for Bilbao before Manchester City signed him for a then club-record fee in January 2018. He has since won two Premier League titles at City, as well as League Cup and FA Cup winner’s medals, but continues to be overlooked by France.
