Mercato OL : Leipzig target Castello Lukeba

Selected by Sylvain Ripoll to take part in the Euro Espoirs, which kicks off this Thursday for Les Bleuets against Italy, Castello Lukeba (20) is gearing up for a busy summer mercato. The young Lyon defender is highly rated on the market, and is of particular interest to English clubs, as well as RB Leipzig.

According to L'Equipe, the German club have been in contact with Lyon and are expected to make an initial offer of around €27 million. According to RMC Sport, they are demanding 35 million euros for their left-footed central defender.

Castello Lukeba "in the dark" about his future

Leipzig are in danger of losing left-sided central defender Josko Gvardiol to Manchester City this summer, and have not exercised their option to buy Abdou Diallo (PSG). The interest in Castello Lukeba is therefore logical, but it will all depend on the resources that Leipzig, who are also courting Lens striker Loïs Openda, intends to invest.

In an interview with L'Equipe this week, Castello Lukeba said he was "in the dark" about his future, while making it clear that his aim was to "put OL back on top" and that a departure was not a priority. "My priority is always playing time. I'm a young player and I want to be on the pitch to progress as quickly as possible. That' s my main criterion, and I base my decisions on that," he confided.