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Chelsea 'move fastest' with €60m bid to fix Maresca's defence
Tom Weber
- Updated: 9 Dec 2025 22:43 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Chelsea are ready to "move fastest" and make a €60 million bid for RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba in January, according to a report.
The France international is looking to take the next step in his career in 2026 after being denied a transfer in the summer due to Leipzig losing several key players.
In late 2024, the Bundesliga outfit managed to agree a new contract with Lukeba, which enabled them to push his €80 million release clause for summer 2025 back to summer 2026, thereby allowing them to keep hold of him for another season.
Current ETV
Castello Lukeba
D (CL)
RB Leipzig
Castello Lukeba
D (CL)
RB Leipzig
ETV Range
€39.7M - €48.5M
Heading into the new year, Leipzig accept that they are likely to lose the 22-year-old to a bigger club, and TEAMtalk claims that a move could already take place as early as January.
The report asserts that the Red Bulls could accept a fee in the region of €60m, which has attracted the attention of various clubs, particularly in the Premier League.
Chelsea to bid for Lukeba
It is claimed that Chelsea, in particular, are ready to "move fastest" and make a big-money bid for Lukeba. The Blues are said to be prepared to match Leipzig's asking price.
This would be a significant U-turn from club bosses at Stamford Bridge, given that they refrained from moving for a defender in the summer, despite Enzo Maresca demanding reinforcements following Levi Colwill's ACL injury.
Perhaps the decision is informed by Chelsea's recent struggles. The West London giants are winless since beating Barcelona in the Champions League and suffered a disappointing 2-1 loss to Atalanta on Tuesday. Both of the Serie A club's goals came from incredibly lacklustre defending.
Maresca openly criticised his defenders - and Tosin Adarabioyo, in particular - after a 3-1 defeat to Leeds last week, and the Atalanta collapse was further proof that Chelsea's defence is simply not consistent enough to compete at a high level.
Personal terms with Lukeba would not be an issue, the report claims. Bayern, led by former Leipzig director Max Eberl, are also interested in Lukeba, but their focus is currently on renewing Dayot Upamecano's contract, potentially allowing Chelsea to steal a march on the competition.
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