Castello Lukeba leipzig
Chelsea are reportedly ‘leading’ the race ahead of Liverpool and Manchester United to sign RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba, as per Caught Offside.
Modern coaches prefer to deploy a left-footed centre-back on the left side of the defence, and Enzo Maresca is no exception. The Blues currently have Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile and Jorrel Hato as options for this role, but Colwill’s season is all but over due to a serious knee injury.
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Hato, meanwhile, has taken time to adapt to the Premier League’s physicality since joining from Ajax Amsterdam last summer. As for Badiashile, he has found it difficult to find his feet in the English top flight and has been dropped down the pecking order.
Now, Caught Offside claim that Chelsea are planning to sign a new left-footed centre-back next year and have earmarked Lukeba as a serious option.
The 22-year-old still has three and a half years left in his current contract and has a £79m release clause. However, Leipzig are prepared to accept just around £53m to let him leave in January and may accept around £70m next summer.
Chelsea aren’t the only club interested in the Frenchman, as Man Utd, Liverpool and Newcastle United are also keen on him. However, the West London club are currently ‘leading’ the race to seal the deal in January.
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Liverpool need a new left-sided defender as a potential long-term replacement for Virgil Van Dijk, who is set to turn 35 next year. Moreover, he will enter the final year of his current contract at the end of this season.
On the other hand, Man Utd currently have Lisandro Martínez and Ayden Heaven as specialist centre-back options to deploy in the LCB position.
However, Martínez has had fitness problems over the last few years and has just returned to action after recovering from a serious knee injury. Meanwhile, Heaven is still very young and isn’t ready to play regularly at the highest level.
Lukeba is a talented player and can also provide cover in the left-back position, although he is a centre-back by trait. So, he might be a shrewd acquisition for Man Utd, Chelsea or Liverpool should any of those clubs eventually manage to secure his service.