Giovanni Leoni is the player of the moment in the transfer market for Italy's top clubs. Everyone wants him—from Inter to Milan, including Juventus, who have decided to make a concrete move for the Parma defender. He impressed everyone in the final matches of the season under Chivu, who would like to reunite with him at Inter to rejuvenate and reinforce the backline ahead of next season. If you want to be like the young Italian defender, and if you're still a student aspiring to become a top prospect in a sport you’re currently practicing, it's important to know how to strike a balance between training and academics. That’s why checking out nerdify reviews could be a valuable step, helping you find the right tools to excel in your studies while also pursuing your athletic goals.
Leoni, among the 2006-born players with the highest market value in Serie A, has shown tremendous potential, and the Italian giants don’t want to let him slip away. A year from now, he could cost even more, but above all, letting him join a direct rival could be decisive for the success of one club and the failure of the others.
So young, and yet so expensive. Parma, in fact, considers him non-transferable and will not accept any offer below 35 million euros, including fixed fee and bonuses. With such a significant figure, we decided to look back at the 5 most expensive transfers of Italian central defenders in Serie A history.
Alessandro Nesta: the historic move from Lazio to Milan
The first name on our list, in ascending order and also based on Transfermarkt data, is Alessandro Nesta. Before the start of the 2002/03 season, after winning 6 trophies with Lazio—including one Scudetto and a UEFA Super Cup—the defender transferred to Milan for 31 million euros.
With the Rossoneri, he made even more history, winning another 10 titles, including 2 league championships, a Club World Cup, and 2 Champions Leagues. During those years, he also became a World Champion with Italy, although he played only 2 and a half matches due to a groin injury. After leaving Milan in 2012, he played in Canada and then in China, retiring in 2015 to become a coach.
Alessandro Bastoni: career breakthrough at Inter
From one Alessandro to another, from Nesta to Bastoni—still in Milan. This time, however, the colors are not red and black but black and blue. The centre-back remains to this day the most expensive transfer from Atalanta to Inter, a deal completed definitively in the summer of 2017 for 31.1 million euros. For just 100,000 euros more than Nesta, he sits fourth on our list.
Bastoni’s arrival changed the course of his career. Wearing the Inter shirt, he went on to win 2 league titles, 3 Italian Super Cups, 2 Coppa Italia trophies, and the 2021 European Championship with Italy. He came close to the Champions League dream twice, but lost both finals: 1-0 to Manchester City in 2023, and 5-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in 2025.
Alessandro Buongiorno: an instant winner with Napoli
Incredible but true: the third Alessandro on our list. Our focus revealed that this name seems to bring good luck to Italian centre-backs, apparently, since the current Napoli player also immediately won a title in his first season wearing the Azzurri shirt.
He transferred last summer for 35 million euros and was one of the protagonists of Napoli’s fourth Scudetto, the one under Antonio Conte. The former Torino defender is a pillar of Napoli’s backline and, despite a series of unfortunate injuries, remains one of the key players behind the team’s success—bolstered by the defense’s stats: the best in all of Europe for goals conceded.
Mattia Caldara: misfortune takes over
Not all stories, unfortunately, are successful or end happily. This is the case of Mattia Caldara, who holds a high position in our ranking. The defender remains to this day one of the most expensive transfers from Juventus to Milan. In the summer of 2018—the same summer as Higuain's move to the Rossoneri—he was purchased for 37.7 million euros.
The rest of the story is well-known: Caldara got injured. He played just 3 matches for Milan before being loaned out to Atalanta, Venezia, Spezia, and Modena. This summer he became a free agent, and at 31 years old, he’s searching for a new destination—possibly one of his last experiences. His career did not bring him the joy he deserved. Among all the players on this list, he’s the only one who has never won a single title.
Leonardo Bonucci: the surprising 'ping-pong' between Juve and Milan
In this top 5, Leonardo Bonucci rightfully appears twice, but we’ve decided to combine both into one dedicated chapter. He would deserve third place, tied with Buongiorno, for his return to Juventus in the 2018/19 season for 35 million euros. But he claims the top spot for his move the year before, from Juventus to Milan, worth 42 million euros.
That summer, Bonucci’s departure from Juve caused a stir, and many thought it signaled a Rossoneri rebirth. It didn’t turn out that way, and the centre-back had a season far below his abilities. The transfer that places him at the top of this ranking doesn't do justic to the career he's had, with 17 titles won at Juventus and a European Championship with the Italian national team in 2021.
