England came third in this summer's World Cup - their best performance in a men's competition in 60 years - and now their players are in demand in the transfer market. Of the 27 players that went out to North America - 26 in the original squad and Trevoh Chalobah, who replaced the injured Tino Livramento - seven have moved clubs this summer, with another two linked with transfers. Morgan Rogers went from Aston Villa to Chelsea in a £117m deal, midfielder Elliot Anderson moved for £116m from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City and winger Anthony Gordon cost Barcelona almost £70m when transferring from Newcastle.
Midfielder Jordan Henderson made the short trip across west London on a free transfer to Chelsea after his Brentford contract was mutually terminated and back-up goalkeeper James Trafford signed for Leeds in a £45m move from Manchester City. But what might be more surprising is how in-demand England's defenders have become - and the low prices they are moving for. With Djed Spence on the verge of going to Inter Milan, where he could join Three Lions team-mate John Stones, Trevoh Chalobah having moved to Como and Ezri Konsa being targeted by Arsenal, four of England's World Cup defenders will be potentially moving clubs this summer.
But if you go back a bit further, Marc Guehi left Crystal Palace for Manchester City in January and Jarell Quansah moved from Liverpool to Bayer Leverkusen in July 2025 - meaning six of the nine England defenders on World Cup duty could have switched teams in just over a year. We look at the defenders on the move this summer and explain why they are moving; the push and pull factors involved and what the moves will offer both the player and the clubs involved. Although attacking players such as Rogers and Gordon and central midfielder Anderson have been involved in massive deals this summer, there has certainly been more value to be found in the defenders.
Tottenham full-back Spence, 26, might only cost Inter Milan £25.6m, despite ending the World Cup strongly, repeatedly displaying his pace and willingness to go forward. He impressed in the semi-final, including a superb last-ditch sliding challenge to stop Argentina's Giuliano Simeone from scoring. Spurs finished 17th last season, only clinching Premier League survival on the final day, while Inter Milan are the reigning Serie A champions and also Coppa Italia holders.
Stones, 32, was always going to be in demand as he was available on a free transfer after a hugely-successful spell at Manchester City, winning the Premier League six times and the Champions League once. The only question was over his fitness, but he answered those worries by featuring in five of England's eight World Cup matches, having played in all five in 2022 and all seven in 2018, when the Three Lions again lost in the semi-finals. He has played 94 times for England and was also an ever-present in their runs to the European Championship finals in 2021 and 2024 and seems to be a risk-free bargain for Inter.
Konsa, 28, played in all eight World Cup matches this summer, with Arsenal failing with a bid of £30m and Villa holding out for near double that. But even a transfer of under £50m would prove good value for a player that has played 28 times for his country and helped Villa win the Europa League in May. Arsenal won the Premier League in 2025-26 and reached the final of the Champions League, but with France centre-half William Saliba set to miss an "extended period" because of a back injury, they are in need for an instant high-level replacement, which Konsa would be.
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