Image caption, Will Djed Spence (left) and Ezri Konsa (middle) be the next England players to be involved in transfers this summer?
ByMichael EmonsBBC Sport journalist Published 48 minutes ago 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.
English defenders proving good value in the market Figure caption, Tackle of the tournament?
Spence saves England 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.
Image caption, England defender John Stones will be looking to win more trophies at Inter Milan 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.
Chalobah, 27, only featured in the third-fourth play-off, which England won 6-4 against France in a crazy game in Miami as he earned his second international cap.
However, his transfer to Italian side Como, who are managed by ex-Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas and qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history, still comes in at the cheaper end of the market.
Chelsea will receive an initial £25.7m, with a further £5.1m possible in add-ons, while France defender Maxence Lacroix, signed from Crystal Palace, cost the Blues much more at £52m.
Chalobah had been at Chelsea since the age of eight, winning the FA Cup, Conference League and Fifa Club World Cup twice - playing all 90 minutes of the final as the Blues beat Paris St-Germain 3-0 in 2025.
But with the arrival of Lacroix and with numerous other central defensive options, including Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Axel Disasi, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile and Jorrel Hato, Chalobah has opted for more guaranteed first-team football.
Guehi, 26, another who played in all of England's World Cup games, only cost Manchester City £20m in January as his Crystal Palace contract was expiring in six months.
It was a similar story for right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, surprisingly left out of Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad after a season at Real Madrid, who only paid Liverpool £8.5m in May 2025 with his Anfield deal coming to an end.
The most expensive move among the names mentioned was Quansah's £35m move from Liverpool to Bayer Leverkusen last summer, although the fact he was only 22 at the time was one of the reasons for the German side paying more.
England's style of play highlights defensive qualities Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Some of England's players during the 2026 World Cup.
Back row: Ollie Watkins, John Stones, Elliot Anderson, Nico O'Reilly, Ivan Toney, Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka.
Front row: Declan Rice, Djed Spence, Anthony Gordon and Marc Guehi.
Stones, Anderson, Rogers, Gordon and Guehi have completed transfers in 2026, while Spence may move to Inter Milan In the past eight years, England have reached two World Cup semi-finals, one quarter-final and the final of two European Championships.
Firstly under Gareth Southgate and then under Thomas Tuchel, the Three Lions have generally been well organised, hard to break down and tough to beat - with defensive players being able to shine.
When they finished fourth in the 2018 World Cup, they conceded only eight goals in seven games and it was the same figures in 2026 in their opening seven matches, before the madness of the 6-4 win over France.
They only conceded twice in seven games in the European Championship in 2021 and six in seven matches at Euro 2024, losing in the final on both occasions.
Under Tuchel, England did not concede a single goal in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, winning all eight qualifiers and keeping clean sheets in all of them to get to North America with a maximum 24 points.
An attacking and exciting 4-2 win over Croatia in their 2026 opener, led to many thinking there had been a change of philosophy, before England then kept two clean sheets in a row in their other group matches.
England's resolute defending was typified in the last-16 3-2 win over co-hosts Mexico, with Tuchel's side hanging on, despite playing the final 40 minutes with 10 men after Quansah had been sent off.
Similar defensive qualities saw off Norway and star striker Erling Haaland in the quarter-finals, but they could not repeat the trick late on in their semi-final when Argentina, inspired by Lionel Messi, scored twice late on to end English hopes of glory.
