Best available centre-backs includes key Brighton, Forest, Palace and Spurs players | OneFootball

There is a slight football food-chain element to this feature, with ‘untouchable’ stars at Brighton and Crystal Palace 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) Ousmane Diomande (Sporting CP)

The first of two Sporting players in this ranking, Diomande has been linked with a variety of Premier League clubs over the last three years.

Arsenal seemed destined to sign the Ivorian, who came close to joining Crystal Palace last summer. If that doesn’t say his stock has fallen, we’re not sure what will.

He is still an interesting prospect and Palace are in a very good place. A strong showing at the World Cup could be what finally gets Diomande a big transfer.

9) Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta)

Separating Scalvini and Diomande was unnecessarily difficult, but we are content with the ranking as we know, deep down, that nobody gives a s**t.

Both players were born a week apart and turn 23 in December, making them long-term investments, but also players good enough and experienced enough to make an instant impact.

The jump from Serie A is slightly less significant than the one from the Portuguese top flight, which could be what gives Scalvini the slight edge. However, his injury record is rather concerning.

8) 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…

Inacio could start alongside Ruben Dias – a player we considered including amid reports he wants to follow Pep Guardiola out of Manchester City – at the World Cup. He was a regular during last year’s Nations League Finals but not at Euro 2024, so we are not 100 per cent sure.

Premier League clubs will be sniffing around Inacio, while there is also reported interest from AC Milan. That feels right, doesn’t it?

7) 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, and interested clubs will be delighted that Lukeba is not at the World Cup – if they have not been put off by his snub…

6) Yann Bisseck (Inter)

Bisseck’s agent promises he is happy in Milan, but Hitler promised not to invade Czechoslovakia. This is the real world.

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are being linked with him this summer, whereas last year Bisseck was attracting interest from West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur and Eintracht Frankfurt.

He clearly had a productive season, helping Inter win the league and cup double. Not productive enough to make Germany’s World Cup squad, though.

5) 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 season.

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.

4) Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton)

One of the highest-rated centre-backs in the Premier League, Van Hecke is outstanding on the ball and solid defensively. We know what is more important in these days of wokeness.

Van Hecke is also an underrated s**thouse. He is wired a bit differently from other defenders but knows how to get away with it, unlike some. Perhaps unlike someone else on this list.

Brighton want around £70m for the Dutch international and, knowing them, they will get it.

3) Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace)

There might not be a player more suited to the outside centre-back role in a back three than Lacroix. His pace gives him the edge over other central defenders, and he is very tidy on the ball, too.

Palace signed a gem from Wolfsburg in 2024 and will do very well to keep hold of him this summer, even after qualifying for the Europa League.

Lacroix’s inclusion in the France squad says more than we ever could to justify his ranking here.

2) Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)

Having to be convinced to merely show up for Tottenham’s do-or-die final-day game at home to Everton is not a great sign. The Spurs captain was set to be in home country to watch his boyhood club Belgrano play in the Argentine Primera Division final, but a U-turn meant he was there to support his team-mates and thank his current club’s loyal supporters after a quite frankly, f**king embarrassing campaign.

Does he deserve any credit? Does he f**k.

It could be the end for both Micky van de Ven and Romero at Spurs, but the latter feels more likely to leave given the constant links and what transpired in the final week of the 2025/26 domestic season.

He is very, very, very Atletico Madrid. We all know why.

Romero is a top player and would be a top signing for literally anyone. He could do with growing up a bit and getting sent off less, but where’s the fun in that?

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.