Liverpool can sign someone even better than Micky van de Ven for less than £60m | OneFootball

Liverpool have been linked with a whole host of players already.

Their 2026-27 summer transfer window is expected to be one of the busiest in the Premier League with several members of their first-team squad rumoured to be interested in exiting L4.

Andoni Iraola obviously has a lot of things to figure out with Richard Hughes which is why so many new links are popping up each day.

A team of Liverpool's quality should be up a the top of the table challenging for the title and, without some new additions, this feels very unlikely to happen.

This is why many different options need to be weighed up before final decisions are made.

And now, one of the Reds' former targets has been allowed to exit his club and with how good he is, he could end up being an even better signing than Micky van de Ven.

Castello Lukeba is available to sign for around £52 million

Liverpool's centre-backs could end up being a real issue for them this season.

Virgil van Dijk is obviously guaranteed a starting role but, now that Ibrahima Konate has exited, there isn't really a clear successor for him at Liverpool.

Of course, Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet are all potential options but, since Gomez is made of glass and the other two don't have any Premier League experience, it's clear that they need another centre-back added to their squad.

Without this, Van Dijk will have to pick up the pieces again and, since he'll be turning 34 by the end of next season, it's unclear whether he'll be able to do that for it's entirety or not.

This is why several centre-backs have already linked and, even though Van de Ven has been the most linked defender, it feels like Liverpool could have a better option to choose from, especially if a report from Sky Germany is to be believed.

Back in May, Sky Germany journalist Philipp Hinze shared an update on Lukeba's situation and named RB Leipzig's asking price for the Frenchman.

"RB Leipzig are preparing for more movement at the centre-back position this summer," he wrote.

"The club are open to a departure for Castello Lukeba, and the player himself is also ready for a new challenge. His release clause stands at €80m, but Leipzig would be willing to negotiate from around €60m.

"There could also be movement involving El Chadaille Bitshiabu. The French defender was already considering leaving in the winter, and nothing can be ruled out for the summer. Leipzig would prefer to keep Bitshiabu, but they are not excluding a transfer.

"On the other hand, RB Leipzig are surveying the market for centre-backs and preparing for possible developments."

Why Castello Lukeba would be a better signing for Liverpool than Micky van de Ven

On the face of things, Van de Ven and Lukeba are fairly similar players.

Both of the defenders are left-footed and each of them can cover centre-back and left-back if needed.

However, one thing that separates the two players is that one club wants to move their defender on while the other doesn't.

Even though Tottenham have signed Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke this summer, they still want to keep Van de Ven around.

Indeed, this could mean that Luka Vuskovic or Critstian Romero are on their way out but, of those three players, Van de Ven is the best, especially for what Liverpool need.

Most of the centre-backs that the Reds have been linked with this season have been left-footed so that could mean Iraola and Richard Hughes are looking for Van Dijk's heir.

Both Lukeba and Van de Ven would be exceptional additions but, since the Frenchman could be signed for £51 million and is two years younger than the Dutchman (23 and 25), Liverpool finally making their move for him makes a lot of sense.

That is, for much more than that in the past.