Real Madrid landed Spanish international Dean Huijsen from Premier League underdogs Bournemouth last summer to upgrade their defense, and while he has been an asset to the team, Real still need one more top center back to fill out their lineup, even with Antonio Rudiger playing himself back into the good graces of the team.
Raul Asencio does not look like the solution as a future starter due to his poor discipline, while Eder Militao is too injury prone to count on as a weekly fixture, though he is obviously the team's best center back when fully healthy.
A number of options are present for Real Madrid, including impending Liverpool free agent Ibrahima Konate. But based on the vibes of the transfer rumor mill, Real want to keep going younger in defense, mirroring the Huijsen signing by going with someone who has future upside.
Castello Lukeba is close to being world class
RB Leipzig star Castello Lukeba is quietly having another sensational season at the back for the Bundesliga giants, and he is a player with personal interest in Real Madrid and who has been consistently linked with a Santiago Bernabeu transfer for a couple of years now.
According to a report from Florian Plettenberg and Philipp Hinze of Sky Sports Germany, Lukeba isn't the only one open to a transfer this summer, as RB Leipzig are now reportedly good with letting the Frenchman spread his wings. And although Lukeba has an 80 million euro release clause built into his current contract, Sky Sports Germany reports that Leipzig are actually open to letting him go for a little bit less than that at 65-70 million euros. Per Plettenberg, Lukeba is "keen" to seek a new challenge.
There is no challenge worth relishing more than playing on an island and being a starting center back for Real Madrid, where the pressure is immense but the reward to follow in the footsteps of legends like Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Fernando Hierro, and Fabio Cannavaro is often too tempting to pass up on.
Castello Lukeba has the makings of a world class center back, and even though Ibrahima Konate is the bigger name at Liverpool, Lukeba already looks like a better player than Konate and has a trajectory to end his career as a bigger star in European football. While 80 million euros was probably too much, something closer to 60 million could be in line what Real Madrid is looking for.