Man Utd make De Ligt the most expensive defender in history

Carlo Garganese

• 13 Aug 2024 14:41 CDT
• 3 min read

Matthijs de Ligt has consolidated his place as the most expensive defender in history following his move to Manchester United.

Man Utd have signed the Netherlands international for an initial fee of €45 million, with a further €5m in potential add-ons.

Despite only being 24, De Ligt was already the most expensive defender in history in terms of combined transfer fees, and he has extended his own record.

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He has moved for a combined transfer fee of €197.5 million during his career.

Juventus signed De Ligt from Ajax for €85.5m in 2019 before he moved to Bayern Munich from Turin for €67m in 2022.

With his move to Man Utd confirmed, De Ligt has consolidated his status as the most expensive defender in football history. The Dutchman will surpass the €200m mark if Man Utd are forced to pay €5m in add-ons.

OFFICIAL: Man Utd complete Matthijs de Ligt transfer

Only four players in history have combined transfer fees of over €200m; Neymar, Romelu Lukaku, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ousmane Dembele.

Highest combined transfer fees in history

De Ligt is one of two centre-backs to join Man Utd this summer, following the arrival of Lille wonderkid Leny Yoro.

Raphael Varane has departed on a free transfer, joining Como, while Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire’s futures at Old Trafford are not secure.

United had been in talks to sign Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite for several months, although his high price tag was a problem and Man Utd turned their attention to De Ligt and Yoro.

Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag is a big fan of De Ligt having worked with him at Ajax.

During that time, De Ligt emerged as arguably the most promising young centre back in Europe before signing for Juventus in the summer of 2019.

However, he never lived up to his potential at Juve, who sold him to Bayern Munich in 2022.

De Ligt signed a five-year contract in Bavaria that runs until 2027 but he also struggled at times at Bayern.

This has led to him even being nicknamed the ‘Dutch Harry Maguire’ due to his occasional propensity for clumsy mistakes and a lack of speed when on the turn.