Chelsea face off against European behemoths to sign talented 19-year-old defender

Transfer News: Chelsea battle Manchester United for Lyon centre-back Castello Lukeba

According to the French news outlet Jeunes Footeux via Sport Witness (h/t Manchester Evening News), Chelsea are battling it out with Manchester United to secure the services of Lyon centre-back Castello Lukeba in a potential transfer in the future. He is one of the highly-rated prospects in the French league and could be a superstar in the making.

Despite his promise, Lukeba has a cheap price stage of just £2.08million based on the market value. However, his price is touted to be on the rise, having signed a contract extension with Olympique Lyonnais recently. Moreover, he has already attracted a host of attention from clubs other than Man United and the Blues.

That would naturally add to the Frenchman’s value moving forward, which would make him more expensive ahead of the summer transfer window. Ajax Amsterdam, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Napoli and Real Madrid are the other interested parties who are in the fray trying to finalise a move ahead of the competition.

Who is Castello Lukeba?

The 19-year-old has just recently been introduced to the first team but has quickly made himself in contention to feature regularly for his side. He has already played 14 matches this season and has earned four clean sheets while scoring once across all competitions.

The youngster primarily plays as a central defender, although he can put in a shift as a left-back when needed. He is a modern centre-back who possesses the technical qualities necessary to help his team during the build-up phase. Moreover, he is also not afraid to receive pressure and use his excellent dribbling ability to break through opposition.

The French side had a disappointing season so far due to the disappointing start to the campaign. But, Lyon’s rise up the table in recent times has coincided with the Ligue 1 youngster gaining a slot in the first team set up. It is no wonder why many clubs have lined up to secure his signature despite a lack of experience in the top flight.

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With Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger at risk of leaving for free after this term, we must look at options to protect our interests. While it would be too much of an ask on Lukeba’s head to instantly start for us, he could certainly play as an understudy and slowly gain a role in the team.

Trevoh Chalobah has certainly done that and looks set to take over the mantle in the case of any departure in the centre-back slot. Whether we would be the ones to prise away Lukeba or not would only be known in due time.