Chelsea are preparing a formal offer to sign RB Leipzig’s centre-back Castello Lukeba, according to TEAMtalk.
Chelsea possesses several French central defenders in their squad, yet none have really secured a permanent foothold in the side. Wesley Fofana has produced a few strong displays in recent weeks, although his long list of injuries makes it impossible to depend on him throughout an entire campaign.
Benoît Badiashile, meanwhile, delivered an outstanding showing against Liverpool before suffering an injury in that very encounter. His overall fitness record during his spell at Chelsea has been abysmal as well.
Axel Disasi completes the list. To give him his due, he has remained available almost every week, but he does not appear to feature in Enzo Maresca’s long-term thinking and is widely expected to depart soon.
It appears Todd Boehly and co. are now looking to end the club’s French centre-back hoodoo by securing a more reliable, consistent and quality centre-back, and this time they’re looking at Lukeba, who has been one of Europe’s best young central defenders.
This is according to TEAMtalk, who claims that Chelsea are plotting a swoop to sign Lukeba in the January transfer window.
The report adds that the Blues are now accelerating efforts to secure his transfer after impressing the club’s recruitment team, who have been closely following his performances.
Lukeba to Chelsea
While the Frenchman’s contract at the Red Bull Arena runs until 2029, his deal includes a clause that lowers his valuation as the season progresses—starting at £70m and dropping to £57m from next summer—meaning Leipzig are now prepared to consider offers as low as £52m in the January window, according to the report.
As a result, TEAMtalk claims that Chelsea are now preparing to submit a formal offer of between £48-52m ‘in the coming weeks’ and are optimistic that agreeing personal terms with the six-cap France international won’t be difficult.
The West Londoners will now hope that their offer is enough to put off interest from other clubs, as the report claims that Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Real Madrid are also keen on Lukeba.
Having come through the ranks at Lyon, where he made 68 appearances, Lukeba has lived up to expectations since joining Leipzig in 2023, becoming an indispensable figure at the club despite the regular change of coaches.
The 22-year-old has already amassed significant experience at such a young age and certainly fits Chelsea’s youth-driven recruitment strategy, having made over 150 senior appearances.
