Third or higher, in fact!
Manchester City moved John Stones up to second on the list of the most expensive defenders of all time today, but his position could soon be under threat.
That’s because Chelsea are confident of signing 25-year-old Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, according to the London Evening Standard, who claim the Blues have already had a bid of £42m – including £5m in add-ons – rejected.
It surely stands to reason that Chelsea would therefore have to up their offer, meaning Koulibaly would become the world’s third most expensive defender at the very least.
According to BBC Sport, Paris Saint-Germain’s David Luiz is currently the most expensive defender on the planet, having cost £50m when he signed from Chelsea in 2014.
The Beeb claim that former Everton centre-back Stones is second, with City paying the Toffees £47.5m, while PSG captain Thiago Silva ranks third following his £36m arrival from AC Milan four years ago.
Standard Sport report that Koulibaly would command wages in excess of £60,000 per week on a five-year deal were Chelsea to get their man.
Koulibaly has been at Napoli for two seasons, making 60 appearances in Serie A.
He has been fully capped by Senegal, despite representing France at U20 level.