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#7 Casemiro | Brazil | Real Madrid - €70 million
Defensive midfielders are some of the most overlooked players in football. But they play a pivotal role for teams. They are the ones who cover for the full-backs when they join the attack from the flanks and also help in winning back the ball in key areas.
Currently, Real Madrid's Casemiro is the best defensive midfielder in the world. He has been an outstanding player for them 2013, except for a season-long loan in the 2014-15 campaign with Porto.
Though he is not the most technically gifted or skilful player at the Santiago Bernabeu, his awareness, reading of the game, work rate and tackling prowess allow him to be a 'destroyer' in the middle of the park.
Casemiro is currently valued at €70 million and is only behind Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich in market value when it comes to defensive midfielders.
#6 Lautaro Martinez | Argentina | Inter Milan - €70 Million
The first player from Argentina to feature in this list is Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez. Interestingly, all the players from La Albiceleste in this list are attackers, which should not be surprising, as this nation has produced great attacking talent over the years.
Martinez has had a great start to life at the San Siro, and has already scored 30 goals in the Serie A for the Nerazzurri. The 23-year-old is often counted among the top attacking prospects in Europe.
He joined the Italian side in the summer of 2018 for a fee of €22.7 million, which does not seem too outrageous given the crazy valuations for players nowadays.
Martinez is likely to sign a new contract with Inter Milan, who will also get rid of his release clause of €111million. However, his market value - €70 million - is significantly less than his release clause.
#5 Paulo Dybala | Argentina | Juventus - €70 Million
Paulo Dybala has been tipped to arrive on the world stage for the last few seasons. But despite his talent, he has not yet delivered.
The forward has been inconsistent this season. After hitting double digits in goals and assists in the 2019-20 campaign, Dybala has got off to a slow start this term.
La Joya has been with Juventus since 2015. In 244 appearances across all competitions, the player has scored 98 goals and 40 assists for the club.
The player's transfer value has been dropping for the last two seasons, though. After an all-time high of €110 million in 2018, Dybala is currently valued at €70 million.
#4 Roberto Firmino | Brazil | Liverpool - €72 million
Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino is the first Premier League player in our list.
La Liga has been the preferred destination for most South American players, mainly due to no language factor. However, of late, more and more players from the continent play in England, given the quality of the Premier League.
Firmino, who won the Premier League title for Liverpool last season, has been touted as one of the key players at Anfield by head coach Jurgen Klopp, despite his low output in front of goal. Nevertheless, the player has made a name for himself for his selfless service to the duo of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Firmino joined the reigning Premier League champions in the summer of 2015, for roughly €33 million, a price that seems like a bargain deal now. He is currently valued at €72 million, which is fair, given that he will turn 30 later this year.
Also Read: The 10 highest-paid goalkeepers in the world.
