Last summer, Olympique Lyonnais declined Chelsea’s offer of €43 million for center-back Castello Lukeba
Lukeba is one of the league’s most promising players after coming up through Lyon’s youth. He is already among the best defenders in Ligue 1 despite his youth. He joined the team in 2011 at the age of eight after growing up as a Lyon supporter. He is an excellent defender who advances the ball well and has the typical youthful naivete for his age. Coaches and teammates have been impressed by his maturity.
Top European clubs are intrigued, with Barcelona keeping an eye on the young talent. Ironically, he has been compared to former Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti because of his left foot and club. Last summer, Chelsea scoured Europe for top talent. The Ligue 1 club turned down their offer after they settled on the 20-year-old defender. Before he moves on to a bigger club, they want to hold onto him for as long as they can.
Wesley Fofana was eventually acquired by the Blues from Leicester City for for £69.1 million. Lukeba’s growth has continued in Lyon, and the team is looking for ways to hasten it. Les Gones are close to signing Zenit St. Petersburg defender Dejan Lovren in order to pair Lukeba with a more seasoned player.
Lukeba and Jerome Boateng were put together, but it did not work out. Due to his fitness concerns, the latter was unable to display his finest form. Currently, Lyon is looking to sell the former defender for Bayern Munich.
Lyon made an attempt to pair Sinaly Diomande and Lukeba, but the former’s attention problems are an issue. While Lovren will be on the right side of the defence under head coach Laurent Blanc, Lukeba will play on the left. The team is confident that the seasoned former Liverpool defender will help make the most of the promising young player.
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