| # | Player | Position | Citizenship | Club | Born | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ben Cabango | Defender - Centre-Back | Wales Angola | Swansea City | 2000 | €9.0m |
| 2 |  Strahinja Erakovic | Defender - Centre-Back | Serbia Australia | Zenit St. Petersburg | 2001 | €9.0m |
| 3 |  Natan | Defender - Centre-Back | Brazil | Real Betis Balompié | 2001 | €9.0m |
| 4 |  David Carmo | Defender - Centre-Back | Angola Portugal | Real Oviedo | 1999 | €10.0m |
| 5 |  Dan Ballard | Defender - Centre-Back | Northern Ireland England | Sunderland AFC | 1999 | €8.0m |
| 6 |  Leo Østigård | Defender - Centre-Back | Norway | Genoa CFC | 1999 | €10.0m |
| 7 |  Mujaid Sadick | Defender - Centre-Back | Spain Nigeria | KRC Genk | 2000 | €8.0m |
| 8 |  Igor Diveev | Defender - Centre-Back | Russia | CSKA Moscow | 1999 | €8.0m |
| 9 |  Tiago Djaló | Defender - Centre-Back | Portugal Guinea-Bissau | Besiktas JK | 2000 | €8.0m |
| 10 |  Yerson Mosquera | Defender - Centre-Back | Colombia | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2001 | €8.0m |
| 11 |  Diego Costa | Defender - Centre-Back | Brazil | FC Krasnodar | 1999 | €8.0m |
| 12 |  Moïse Bombito | Defender - Centre-Back | Canada DR Congo | OGC Nice | 2000 | €10.0m |
| 13 |  Lilian Brassier | Defender - Centre-Back | France Togo | Stade Rennais FC | 1999 | €10.0m |
| 14 |  Sikou Niakaté | Defender - Centre-Back | Mali France | SC Braga | 1999 | €8.0m |
| 15 |  Anthony Rouault | Defender - Centre-Back | France | Stade Rennais FC | 2001 | €10.0m |
| 16 |  Jay Idzes | Defender - Centre-Back | Indonesia Netherlands | US Sassuolo | 2000 | €7.5m |
| 17 |  Marash Kumbulla | Defender - Centre-Back | Albania Italy | RCD Mallorca | 2000 | €7.5m |
| 18 |  Mark McGuinness | Defender - Centre-Back | Ireland England | Sheffield United | 2001 | €7.0m |
| 19 |  Simone Canestrelli | Defender - Centre-Back | Italy | Pisa Sporting Club | 2000 | €7.0m |
| 20 |  Igoh Ogbu | Defender - Centre-Back | Nigeria | SK Slavia Prague | 2000 | €11.0m |
| 21 |  Mees Hilgers | Defender - Centre-Back | Indonesia Netherlands | Twente Enschede FC | 2001 | €6.5m |
| 22 |  Gabriel Pereira | Defender - Centre-Back | Brazil | FC Copenhagen | 2000 | €6.0m |
| 23 |  Vitão | Defender - Centre-Back | Brazil | Sport Club Internacional | 2000 | €12.0m |
| 24 |  Jon Pacheco | Defender - Centre-Back | Spain | Deportivo Alavés | 2001 | €6.0m |
| 25 |  Nicolás Valentini | Defender - Centre-Back | Argentina Italy | Hellas Verona | 2001 | €6.0m |
| 26 |  Ramón Juárez | Defender - Centre-Back | Mexico | CF América | 2001 | €6.0m |
| 27 |  Jordan Beyer | Defender - Centre-Back | Germany | Burnley FC | 2000 | €6.0m |
| 28 |  Emirhan Topçu | Defender - Centre-Back | Türkiye | Besiktas JK | 2000 | €5.5m |
| 29 |  João Marcelo | Defender - Centre-Back | Brazil | Cruzeiro Esporte Clube | 2000 | €5.5m |
| 30 |  David Zima | Defender - Centre-Back | Czech Republic | SK Slavia Prague | 2000 | €5.5m |