Price lowers DRAMATICALLY for long-term Van Dijk replacement | OneFootball

This season has been a washout for Liverpool - struggling in 12th place in the Premier League table.

This was supposed to be a campaign where the champions kicked on and improved - with sporting director Richard Hughes making £450m worth of summer signings.

None seems to have had the desired effect however with Liverpool regretting the missed chance to sign Marc Guehi.

That’s because the club are conceding goals at an alarming rate - with 20 having been scored against them in only 12 Premier League games.

Castello Lukeba back on the radar

It’s a far cry from last season when Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate ruled the roost but injury troubles as well as the departure of Jarell Quansah have left Liverpool with a centre-back shortage.

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We’ve seen plenty of links to other centre-backs - amid uncertainty over Konate’s future as well as Joe Gomez.

One player mentioned for a while now as been Castello Lukeba of RB Leipzig. The 22-year-old Frenchman has been in very good form over the last couple of seasons for the Red Bulls - emerging on the transfer radar of several big clubs.

Liverpool have been reportedly interested for a long time now - with a deal for summer 2025 having been mooted.

Lukeba price reduces

Lukeba is the subject of a €90m release clause however and that may be a touch too high for the club to consider. Under contract until 2029, Lukeba’s clause will however drop to €80m next summer according to a report in the Athletic.

Intriguingly the report also adds that he could be available for as little as €60m - well below his release clause.

That could prove to be a far more attractive option for Richard Hughes as he eyes up a long-term replacement for Van Dijk.

The left-sided centre-back - who can also play in a back three - suffered an injury-disrupted campaign in 2024/25 but looks back to his best this term. He joined RB back in 2023 from Lyon - and has made one appearance for the senior France national team.