Maresca could move to strengthen his back lineplaceholder image
Maresca could move to strengthen his back line | Getty Images
Chelsea are being linked with a defender whose release clause is set to be reduced.
Chelsea are being linked with a centre-back ahead of the January transfer window. The Blues are in the midst of a hugely frustrating run that has seen them go four games without a win, and they have picked up just one point from their last three games across all competitions.
The Blues drew a blank against Bournemouth over the weekend, drawing on the South coast, and they have since lost to Atalanta in the Champions League to leave their hopes of progressing to the next round without the need for a playoff in doubt.
Enzo Maresca will be hugely frustrated with the drop-off his side have endured in the last couple of weeks, and for now at least, it has cost them their top four spot in the Premier League. Chelsea need to rediscover their spark and quickly, but Everton will provide another stern test this weekend.
In the meantime, the West London club may well be hatching a strategy for the January transfer window, and it is unclear how much they are able to spend having struggled to get deals done in the summer.
Chelsea were fined by UEFA for overspending their means in recent years, and they had to carefully balance spending with outgoings, a trend that may have to continue in January. Though, that hasn’t stopped rumours from getting off the ground, and the latest sees Chelsea linked with a defender.
Lukeba links
The centre-back position is one that many expected Chelsea to strengthen after Levi Colwill was ruled out for much of - if not all of - the season with a serious knee injury. But with priorities elsewhere, Maresca decided to stick with what he had.
Maresca initially said that he wanted to replace Colwill, but that opinion seemed to change soon after. If Chelsea are to strengthen in January, it’s likely the centre-back spot will be a priority, and RB Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba is being linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.
The quickly ascending 22-year-old defender is tied down to a contract until 2029, but he is said to have a variable release clause that drops significantly to £57million in the summer. TeamTalk report that the German club could move to sell him for around £52million in January to get ahead of that dip in his clause, with the current clause standing at around £70million.
The report claims Chelsea are planning to submit a bid between £48million and £52million in the coming weeks and that they are optimistic about agreeing personal terms.
A number of other clubs around Europe have also been linked with Lukeba, who has 67 league appearances to his name at Leipzig, while he also racked up 58 league appearances for Lyon’s first team before making the move in 2023.
Lukeba earned a senior France cap in 2023, although he has not featured since. He is a 27-time France under-21s international and was part of the Olympics side that made the final last year. The still developing centre-back looks set for a big future, and his age means he fits Chelsea’s strategy of signing young players who are ready to make an impact but yet to max out their value.
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