€197.5m in transfer fees over career – Matthijs De Ligt is now the most expensive defender ever

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6th placed overall 

Manchester United have certainly put their money where their mouth is this summer, by bringing in a number of high-profile players to try and bolster Erik Ten Hag’s squad. To date, the Old Trafford club have spent just under €165 million on new players, with the arrival of Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt. However, while Yoro was the single most expensive signing of the window, costing Man Utd €62m, their other central defensive signing, De Ligt, is actually the one that has broken a transfer record this summer. 

According to Transfermarkt’s own information, De Ligt is now the sixth most expensive player in the history of football when we add up all the cumulative transfer fees paid for every player over the course of their career. Following his move from Bayern Munich to Man Utd, De Ligt’s total for transfer fees paid over the course of his career now stands at €197.5m. The only players that have demanded more in transfer fees to date are Álvaro Morata, Ousmane Dembélé, Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and in first place is none other than Neymar, whose transfer fees over the course of his career have reached a remarkable €400m. However, eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that none of the aforementioned players are defenders. Which, naturally, makes De Ligt the most expensive defender in the history of football. To find out which defenders fall in line behind the new Man Utd signing, click through the gallery below.