A few hours after hosting Liverpool, Leipzig announced what had been an open secret in Germany. And, despite signing last season and having a contract valid until 2028, the ‘bulls’ have decided to renew Castelo Lukeba for one more year. His exit clause for next summer, however, remains intact: 90 million euros.
“The move to Leipzig was perfect for my development. I immediately had a lot of minutes and was able to take on responsibilities. I hope to play many more games with RB Leipzig and I will do everything possible to help us be successful,” commented Lukeba, who recently reached the fifty games with the German club.
The move to Leipzig was perfect for my development. I immediately had many minutes and was able to assume responsibilities
Castelo Lukeba
Arrived at the Red Bull Arena last summer as a replacement for Josko Gvardiol in exchange for 30 million euros, Lukeba is beginning to confirm what he promised when he appeared in the always prolific Olympique Lyon youth team after a year of adaptation: he has the potential to become one of the best centre-backs in the world.
He has all the qualities that are sought in the modern center back. A privileged physique when it comes to correcting and winning duels… added with an innate personality to make a difference with the ball. Above all, when driving from behind and splitting. It is no coincidence that Leipzig is the team with the least goals scored in the Bundesliga. They have only conceded two goals in seven games.
Castelo Lukeba percentiles in the last 365 daysFBREF
“He performs every week and can definitely follow in the footsteps of players like Dayot Upamecano or Ibrahima Konaté, who became world-class defenders at RB Leipzig,” said sporting director Marcel Schäfer.
You can follow in the footsteps of players like Dayot Upamecano or Ibrahima Konaté
Marcel Schäfer
MARCA reported a few weeks ago that Real Madrid had him on their radar and that the reports about the French center back were extremely positive. Nor is it the only club that is tracking him and, with complete certainty, will unleash an auction in the summer. But, at this level, Leipzig are clear that the roadmap to follow is the same as in 2023 with Gvardiol. They want to make Lukeba the most expensive center back in history along with the Croatian, for whom Manchester City ended up paying the same clause (90 million) that the French defender currently has.
