Aston Villa are ready to battle Real Madrid and Chelsea for the signature of RB Leipzig defensive sensation Castello Lukeba.
According to a report from Football Insider, Aston Villa will enter the market in January to reinforce their backline. After a poor defensive display in the initial phase of the 2024/25 season, Unai Emery wants to bring in a new centre-back and his team are plotting an ambitious Castello Lukeba swoop.
The French youth international came up the ranks at Olympique Lyon. He made a name for himself while playing for their first team before joining RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023. The 21-year-old had an impressive debut campaign with the German club.
He was involved in a total of 41 matches and hardly had any difficulties adjusting to life in Germany. Lukeba has had an impressive start to the new campaign and his consistent performances over the last 18 months have resulted in significant interest in his services.
Aston Villa keen on signing Castello Lukeba
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are one of the clubs who are keen on signing the French centre-back. They have conceded nine goals in their first seven league outings. It is the second-worst record for any team in the top half of the table.
The Spanish manager is keen on addressing the issue and with Tyrone Mings yet to recover from the knee injury that he picked up last season, Emery will look to bring in a new defender in the winter and they have their eyes on Lukeba who has only gone from strength to strength since moving to Germany.
Chelsea & Real Madrid to cause problems for Villa
While he has all the qualities to succeed in the Premier League and could be a great signing for Villa, it does look like a very ambitious move because of the fact that Chelsea and Real Madrid are also interested in the 21-year-old. The two giants have been closely monitoring him for a while now.
Los Blancos need defensive reinforcement with David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger on the wrong side of 30. They want a young partner for Eder Militao and Lukeba can be an ideal fit. As far as Chelsea are concerned, they are always on the lookout for young players with huge potential and the French youth international seems to be an ideal fit for their plans.
