Manchester City exploring transfer move for Chelsea & Liverpool target | OneFootball

Manchester City are reportedly exploring a transfer move for RB Leipzig centre-back Castello Lukeba, joining the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid in the race for his signature.

The talented young Frenchman has impressed in his time in the Bundesliga and looks like one of the top young players in Europe in his position at the moment.

Lukeba should also have a new release clause for summer 2025 that will likely make him an attractive target for top clubs, with the latest being that Man City have joined the race for his signature.

According to a report from Football Transfers, City are looking into a possible move to sign the 21-year-old, with some questions growing over the future of John Stones, who is not getting any younger and who has had some injury problems in recent times.

Castello Lukeba applauds the RB Leipzig fans during his pre-match warmup (Photo by Luciano Lima/Getty Images)

Lukeba could be an ideal long-term replacement for Stones if a move proves to be possible, and one imagines his €90m release clause would be affordable for City, who have also done business with Leipzig in recent times in their big-money signing of another talented young defender in the form of Josko Gvardiol.

Castello Lukeba transfer: Where else could he end up?

Liverpool and Chelsea also look like teams to watch in the race for Lukeba’s signature, with the Leipzig defender sure to be as in-demand as last minute Man City v Tottenham tickets!

Real Madrid are also known admirers of Lukeba, while one imagines it’ll be worth keeping an eye out for usual suspects such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain as well.

For now, however, it seems like Lukeba might have to decide between City, Chelsea and Liverpool, which won’t be the easiest choice to make.

City are currently dominant in the Premier League and have been boosted by keeping Pep Guardiola on as manager for another year.

However, Liverpool’s project also looks really exciting after a superb start made by Arne Slot at Anfield, with his Reds side currently five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Chelsea could also be a tempting option even if they remain a long way from where they used to be, with Enzo Maresca doing a good job with a club that puts a lot of emphasis on developing top young talents like Lukeba, who would surely get a key role in the team after the relative lack of impact from the likes of Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi.