Chelsea and Real Madrid to face competition from PL giants for 21-year-old defender: Reports

Chelsea and Real Madrid are reportedly set to face strong competition from Premier League champions Manchester City for RB Leipzig's Castello Lukeba's signature. FootballTransfers claim that the Cityzens are keen on the French defender as Pep Guardiola looks to reinforce his backline.

Manchester City have not been at their best this season, having leaked plenty of goals. The Cityzens have been impacted by one of their key defenders John Stones' struggles with persistent injury problems.

It has been claimed that Pep Guardiola is eyeing a move for in-demand defender Castello Lukeba to shore up his backline. The France international is one of the most sought-after young defenders in Europe, having been heavily linked with Real Madrid and Chelsea.

Lukeba joined RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023 from Lyon in a deal worth a reported €34 million. He was tasked to replace Josko Gvardiol, who joined Manchester City in a reported €90 million deal, becoming the world's most expensive defender.

The ball-playing defender has done admirably to fill in Gvardiol's shoes and his exploits for RB Leipzig have caught the attention of Europe's elites. The young centre-back has made 53 appearances for the Bundesliga giants thus far while earning one senior cap for France.

Lukeba, being contracted at the Red Bull Arena until 2029, is expected to cost a fortune. The Real Madrid and Chelsea target has a reported €90 million release clause for 2025 and a €65 million clause for 2026.

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Chelsea leading the race for Bundesliga star despite Real Madrid interest: Reports

Chelsea are reportedly leading the chase for Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah, who has also been linked with Real Madrid. As claimed by Caught Offside (via Football Talk), the Blues are the favorites to land the Germany international.

Tah, who has been an integral player for Bayer Leverkusen since 2015, has his current deal at BayArena expiring next summer. He looks set to become a free agent next summer and will be eligible to sign a pre-contract in January.

Real Madrid have been heavily linked with a move for the 28-year-old of late to fix their defensive crisis. Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have also emerged as suitors but the Blues are believed to be leading the race now.

Tah has made 370 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen so far while being capped 33 times for Germany. He has one Bundesliga, one DFB Pokal and one DFL Supercup with Leverkusen till date.