Ezri Konsa and Declan Rice celebrate a goal
England players Ezri Konsa and Declan Rice celebrate a goal
There is a slight football food-chain element to this feature, with ‘untouchable’ stars at Brentford and Everton featuring in our ranking of the 10 best centre-backs available to sign this summer.
The centre-back market is not expected to be as hectic as the winger and striker markets, but there will surely be plenty of movement in the summer transfer window.
Without further ado, here are the 10 best centre-backs available this summer.
10) Vitor Reis (Manchester City)
Reis’ pathway into City’s starting XI looks incredibly bleak. He is currently behind Abdukodir Khusanov, Marc Guehi, Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias in Enzo Maresca’s pecking order.
The 20-year-old Brazilian spent last season on loan at Girona, who were relegated from La Liga, and another loan feels likely. You wouldn’t blame the youngster for pursuing a permanent move, though.
You also wouldn’t be shocked to see City open the door to a permanent exit for Reis, who Transfermarkt value at €30m.
9) Nathan Ngoy (Lille)
We caught a glimpse of Ngoy at the World Cup and his red card against Iran did him no favours, but he remains a highly rated young defender.
The Belgian international made 29 Ligue 1 appearances last season as Lille finished third.
8) Nathan Collins (Brentford)
Manchester United were linked with a surprise move that wasn’t actually that surprising when you thought about it. Collins has been fantastic for Brentford, who paid a then club-record £23million for the Irish defender in 2023.
Brentford will surely want at least double that three years on from Collins’ arrival, and we think he is well equipped to make the step up.
7) Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta)
The Italian would be a long-term investment, but is also a player good enough and experienced enough to make an instant impact.
The jump from Serie A to the Premier League is not too significant, though Scalvini’s injury record is rather concerning.
6) Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton)
A very promising young defender, Branthwaite missed a lot of football last season and was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad as a result. It was a fair decision, as the England man was never going to be close to starting. Levi Colwill was also omitted, with both players viewed as long-term options and likely to be involved at Euro 2028 if they continue on their current trajectory.
Branthwaite was a top Manchester United target last year, but rumours of a move to Old Trafford have quietened down. That is good news for Everton, but also an indication that his stock has dipped slightly.
5) Goncalo Inacio (Sporting CP)
Poor Sporting could lose both of their starting centre-backs this summer. We have been saying that for about three years now, mind…
Premier League clubs will be sniffing around Inacio, while there is also reported interest from AC Milan. That feels right, doesn’t it?
4) Castello Lukeba (RB Leipzig)
Leipzig have an incredible knack for unearthing brilliant French centre-backs. It’s quite weird.
Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano went on to bigger and better things after establishing themselves there, while Mohamed Simakan joined Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr last year, and Lukeba is next in line to earn himself a big-money move.
It could happen this summer.
3) Murillo (Nottingham Forest)
One of the quickest and strongest players in the Premier League, we’d be surprised to see Murillo at Nottingham Forest next year.
His stock hasn’t fallen but he has fallen behind other Premier League centre-backs in clubs’ list of centre-back targets. Still, Murillo should be able to leave Forest for around quadruple the £15m they paid to sign him from Corinthians.
2) Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa)
Villa players often find themselves in these rankings, much to the confusion and anger of their fan base, but it’s hard to argue that their best players are more often than not open to – if not actively looking for – a move to a true Premier League giant.
Konsa is no different, and the fact a £60m asking price has been widely reported hints that Villa would be willing to sell the England defender amid interest from Arsenal.
The Gunners would be mad to pay that figure for a 28-year-old Konsa, but there is no denying that he is a very good player who would make Mikel Arteta’s squad stronger as William Saliba recovers from a back injury.
1) Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund)
The best option out there, Schlotterbeck has been excellent in four years at Dortmund and is arguably the best centre-back in the Bundesliga.
We are probably taking liberties by suggesting Dortmund would be open to selling him, as Schlotterbeck recently signed a new five-year contract, but money talks, and if a truly elite club like Real Madrid come calling, he should not need too much convincing.
The best thing about him? He’s left-footed. Clubs love left-footed centre-backs.