Ranking the costliest acquisitions of Manchester United defenders in history, following the signings of De Ligt and Yoro. Manchester United is currently considering transferring Harry Maguire in order to make space for more transactions.

TEAMtalk has examined Manchester United’s most costly acquisitions in the realm of defensive players, following the club’s recent acquisition of two center-backs during the summer.

United is experiencing a summer of transformation, as Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS company, the new co-owners, are handling their inaugural transfer window at Old Trafford.

Despite apprehensions over the financial limitations imposed by the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules, the 20-time champions of England have remained resolute in their pursuit of acquiring several costly defensive reinforcements.

While their attempts to acquire Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite were unsuccessful, they have managed to secure the signings of Leny Yoro from Lille and Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich.

United have made significant investments on their defensive line on multiple occasions in the past. Below is a list of the club’s nine most costly defensive acquisitions, including all additional payments…

Eric Bailly was acquired for a transfer fee of £30 million.
The signing occurred during the same summer when Manchester United made significant financial investments, including a world-record £89 million on Paul Pogba, £30 million on Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and the acquisition of Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free transfer. Additionally, Jose Mourinho was appointed as the manager. Eric Bailly’s transfer from Villarreal was the least attention-grabbing transaction during a busy period of commerce.

The Ivorian central defender was merely 22 years old at the time and had only completed one entire season of playing with the first squad. However, the Red Devils recognised sufficient promise in the ex-Espanyol defender to spend £30 million to secure his services.

During his six seasons at Old Trafford, Bailly demonstrated his talent only seldom, as he was constantly hindered by recurring ailments and prone to lapses in concentration and costly mistakes.

Bailly’s exceptional speed, ability to predict plays, and strategic positioning made him appear as a highly promising candidate in his position. However, this form was not frequently observed, and as a result, he departed to join Besiktas without any transfer fee in 2023.

Rio Ferdinand was sold for a transfer fee of £30.75 million.
Rio Ferdinand’s transfer from Leeds to Manchester United in 2002, happening at least 14 years before any other transfer mentioned here, stands out as a remarkable and unprecedented event.

Similar to United’s purchase of Harry Maguire almost two decades later, the arrival of the England international at Old Trafford in the summer of 2002 made him the costliest defender in history at that time. From one perspective, Ferdinand still holds the record for being the most expensive defender in the history of Manchester United.

United’s 2002 yearly revenue amounted to approximately £175 million. Therefore, their first investment of £29 million for Ferdinand, who was 22 years old at the time and had just performed exceptionally well in the World Cup with England, accounted for 16.6% of their total revenue. When Manchester United acquired Maguire in 2019 for a sum of £80 million, the transfer fee accounted for 12.75 percent of their total revenue of £627.1 million for that year.

Despite the significant financial investment in Ferdinand, there is unquestionably no doubt that United received excellent value for their money from the transaction. Over the course of 12 seasons with the club, the skilled centre-back achieved an impressive record of six Premier League titles, two League Cups, and a Champions League victory.

Furthermore, United successfully managed to secure a little reduction in the final amount of the agreement through negotiations. The first arrangement they made with Leeds was for a fixed amount of £29 million, with the possibility of additional payments based on performance, totalling up to £3.25 million. However, facing severe financial difficulties, Leeds consented in January 2004 to a diminished bonus amount of £1.75 million in exchange for immediate receipt of the supplementary charge.

Victor Lindelof was acquired for a hefty sum of £39.5 million.
Recruited from Benfica during the summer of 2017, Victor Lindelof was expected to be the central figure of a restructured defensive line for Manchester United in the foreseeable future.

At the time, the Red Devils made a £39.5 million agreement to acquire the Sweden international. This price appeared high considering the player had only played for the Portuguese club’s first squad for a season and a half.

However, the qualities he displayed during that period – his dominance in aerial duels, his ability to play in various positions in the defensive line or even in midfield, and his remarkable passing range – distinguished the 22-year-old at that time as a highly promising player.

The presence of Lindelof at Old Trafford is a testimonial to his high level of skill, yet, he has never really persuaded as the preferred choice for the central defensive position. He has primarily been used as a substitute for injured teammates in recent seasons, and has only played in more than 20 league matches twice in his seven years at United.

Raphael Varane was sold for a transfer fee of £42 million.
Raphael Varane is a player for Manchester United.
Raphael Varane playing for Manchester United

The acquisition of Raphael Varane by United in 2021 demonstrated the club’s ongoing capacity to allure top-tier players, despite an eight-year absence of winning titles.

The individual from France was victorious in the World Cup as a member of the French national team in 2018. He joined Old Trafford with an unquestionable track record, having achieved three La Liga crowns and four Champions League triumphs with Real Madrid.

Nevertheless, although Varane’s skill level was always unquestionable, his reputation for being prone to injuries only deteriorated. During his tenure at United, he only initiated 58 Premier League matches over a span of three years.

Varane departed as an unrestricted player at the conclusion of the previous season after his contract was not extended, and subsequently joined Como in Serie A. Prior to leaving, the 31-year-old reversed time to provide a remarkable display, leading United to a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley.

Matthijs de Ligt was transferred for a fee of £42.8 million.
Matthijs de Ligt, a prominent player in Erik ten Hag’s impressive Ajax team, was expected to be reunited with the Manchester United manager at Old Trafford in the near future.

In the summer of 2024, Man Utd seized the opportunity to acquire De Ligt in a joint transaction with Bayern Munich, which also involved the transfer of full-back Noussair Mazraoui to the Premier League.

De Ligt’s performance has been inconsistent, as he has had challenges in realising his full potential while playing for Juventus and Bayern Munich.

However, now that De Ligt has been reunited with the manager that appointed him as Ajax captain, he will be aiming to showcase his exceptional abilities once more in a different league.

Matthijs de Ligt: Analysing his potential contributions to Manchester United and the reasons for his unsuccessful transfers to Juventus and Bayern.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was sold for a transfer fee of £50 million.
In February 2018, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who was 20 years old at the time, experienced a challenging introduction to the Premier League. Due to a severe shortage of players caused by injuries at Crystal Palace, manager Roy Hodgson had little choice but to allow the young defender to make his first appearance in a senior match against Tottenham. This was soon followed by matches against Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool.

By the conclusion of March, Wan-Bissaka had been assigned the responsibility of closely guarding Christian Eriksen, Alexis Sanchez, Eden Hazard, and Sadio Mane. The young individual had displayed brilliance.

Wan-Bissaka concluded the season as Palace’s Player of the Year because to his exceptional athleticism, outstanding one-on-one defensive skills, and impeccable timing in making challenges, all of which indicate a promising future.

One year later, even though the defender displayed weaknesses in the offensive aspects of his position, Manchester United spent £50 million to acquire the former England under-21 international.

However, even after five years, those identical vulnerabilities persistently afflict his performance. Although Wan-Bissaka excels as a defender in one-on-one situations, he has demonstrated minimal improvement in his initial ball control, perception, and capacity to generate opportunities from the right side.

United may potentially sell the 26-year-old this summer to raise funds for their planned acquisitions, amidst interest from West Ham and Galatasaray.

3 – Lisandro Martinez – valued at £56.7 million
There was surprise when United agreed to pay a maximum of £56.7 million for Lisandro Martinez two years ago. The Argentine central defender had previously been associated with a potential transfer to Arsenal at a reduced cost, and critics highlighted the 5ft 7ins defender’s limited stature as a significant issue.

After playing under Erik ten Hag at Ajax, Martinez joined him at Old Trafford. Unlike many of United’s previous signings who have disappointed, Martinez has gained popularity among the Red Devils’ fans.

Martinez is an adept defender who excels in tackling and possesses excellent passing skills, particularly with his left foot. His contributions are vital to United’s defensive and offensive strategies. The sole drawback to his deal is the unfortunate string of ailments that the 26-year-old has endured, as his persistent knee issues restricted him to a mere eight Premier League starts in the previous season.

2 – Leny Yoro – £58.9 million
Ratcliffe’s emphasis on recruiting youthful talents for United is exemplified with the acquisition of Leny Yoro from Lille, serving as a manifestation of their fresh approach.

Upon his arrival, Yoro, who was only 18 years old, had already demonstrated his talent via his performance in the previous seasons with Lille. He had played a total of 60 matches and had also represented France in different youth divisions.

On July 18, he became the second high-ranking acquisition during the INEOS period at Old Trafford when United agreed to a contract valued at an initial £52.2m, with the potential to increase to £58.9m with additional payments.

Nevertheless, he quickly sustained an injury that rendered him unable to participate in the initial months of the season, which further prompted the acquisition of De Ligt.

1 – Harry Maguire – valued at £80 million
Harry Maguire surpassed Virgil van Dijk’s record as the highest-priced defender in history when Manchester United acquired him from Leicester for a staggering £80 million in 2019. However, it is accurate to state that the England centre-back has not been able to equal the level of success achieved by the Liverpool superstar since joining his own dominant team in the north-west region.

Maguire had recently excelled in England’s journey to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup when United acquired him. In his inaugural season at the club, the dominant central defender performed admirably.

Subsequently, Maguire took on the role of captain at Old Trafford. However, his inconsistent performance and numerous expensive mistakes have led to him losing his status as an indisputable first-choice centre-back. As a result, he has been compelled to relinquish the captain’s armband to Bruno Fernandes.

Maguire was unable to recuperate from a calf injury sufficiently in order to be included in England’s Euro 2024 team. United’s pursuit of multiple centre-back signings this summer could render him redundant at the club as well.