Liverpool are now merely a matter of months away from being forced into a summer window of heavy spending.
The cause? Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s expiring contracts; not to mention, also, Andy Robertson’s sudden decline in 2024/25.
The aforementioned duo remain set to depart Merseyside at the end of the campaign, with talks still ongoing between their respective entourages and sporting director Richard Hughes.
Fail to change the situation significantly, however, and the Reds will surely have no other option than to spend, likely, upwards of £100m, to account for the quality lost.
Perhaps significantly upwards of that figure should Liverpool wish to make signing Castello Lukeba a priority.
Liverpool are still interested in Castello Lukeba
Christian Falk confirmed that the Merseysiders are keeping tabs on the 22-year-old’s progress at RB Leipzig.
However, they’ll have two notable hurdles to clear to have any hope of landing his signature this summer – interest from European rivals Real Madrid and a £74.5m release clause.
“True: Real Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United have Castello Lukeba on their radar,” the BILD reporter informed CaughtOffside in his exclusive Fact Files column.
“The Leipzig defender extended his contract until 2029 in October – but plans are apparently already underway for a potential transfer in the summer. Lukeba and his agents have their sights set on a move to Real Madrid.
“Following the contract extension, the 22-year-old’s release clause will be €90m [£74.5m] for the upcoming transfer window.”
With 128 senior appearances under his belt (between spells at Lyon and the Red Bull-owned outfit), however, Lukeba is quickly becoming a prime candidate for a potential Anfield switch.
Only 22 senior games stand in the way of the Frenchman falling within the Liverpool recruitment team’s ideal search parameters.
Would Lukeba be a suitable replacement for Virgil van Dijk?
Statistically speaking, the short answer is: No.
Castello Lukeba falls short in a number of key areas one might reasonably imagine the Merseysiders’ recruitment team will be looking at.
Signing the centre-back would, for one, seriously harm Liverpool’s aerial dominance in the backline. The French defender’s aerial duel win rate currently averages at 54.5% – a sharp drop-off from Virgil van Dijk’s 75.6%, according to FBref.
The footballer likewise isn’t as reliable on the ball as his L4-dwelling counterpart, registering fewer passes per game at a reduced completion rate (89.8% to the Dutch international’s 92.2% per 90).
He’s comparatively more assured in progressing play via ball carrying, however, showcasing significantly better progressive carries and successful take-on rates.
Though, that probably then marks Lukeba out as a more suitable Joel Matip replacement!
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