Liverpool are tussling with Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United for the signing of RB Leipzig centre-back Castello Lukeba this summer.
The Reds may be signing Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes at the end of the season, but another defender is also needed, with captain Virgil van Dijk bemoaning his side’s woes recently, saying:
“We are trying everything. We are trying to turn it around and we are hopefully going to turn a corner, but it doesn’t look that way at the moment. I’ve been asked that question (what the issue is) many times this season and it still didn’t happen.
“It’s down to us and so we have to do it as players, as a group. If we change that, then obviously we can be a very dangerous force throughout the whole season. But at the moment, we are not.”
According to Sport Witness, Liverpool are “very much in the race” for the signing of Lukeba from Leipzig this summer, with Arsenal and United are seen as options.
In fact, it is claimed that the Gunners have even been on a scouting mission for the 23-year-old, as they eye yet more defensive reinforcements.
Lukeba is believed to have a £69.2m release clause in his current Leipzig deal, with his contract at the Bundesliga side expiring in the summer of 2029.
Castello Lukeba a fantastic summer option for Liverpool
Lukeba is such a promising young defender, with scout Jacek Kulig describing him as an “elite centre-back in the making” earlier this year.
That’s not to say that he isn’t already close to the finished product, however, with the six-cap France international racking up 97 appearances for Leipzig, proving to be a key figure at the heart of the defence.
If Liverpool signed both Jacquet and Lukeba, they could prove to be the future leaders of the back-line at Anfield, along with Giovanni Leoni, who will hopefully return to his best after a serious knee injury.
Opinion will be split among Reds supporters over whether Konate signing a contract extension is a good thing or not, but Lukeba arguably has a higher ceiling, and beating Arsenal and United to his signature would feel like a coup.