Real Madrid monitoring €40m RB Leipzig defender | OneFootball

Although Real Madrid brought in one of the current best players in the world, Kylian Mbappe, to their team in the last summer transfer window, the Merengues still had to come into the 2024-25 season with a comparably weaker defence and midfield.

Ancelotti still has some options in the middle of the pitch, but it is the backline where he is expected to face the most problems this season. Los Blancos were apparently aware of this weakness in their squad, and they tried to sign Leny Yoro from Lille but ultimately lost out to Manchester United in the pursuit of this young defender.

The Merengues will look to get another young defender in the months to come and according to MARCA, one of the candidates that they are keeping an eye on is the RB Leipzig centre-back Castello Lukeba. For this purpose, Real Madrid scouts even attended the match between Atletico Madrid and the German side last Thursday.

The 21-year-old defender has been playing at a good level ever since signing for RB Leipzig a year ago. He has already made his debut for the French international team and was also one of the starters for the French Olympic team that won the silver medal in Paris.

Currently, he is an undisputable starter for Marco Rose’s side and is valued at €40 million. The match between Atletico and Leipzig was not the first time that Real Madrid scouts went to see him in action, but the Merengues’ interest is still in its initial phases, and they are only analysing the player for now.

For the coming weeks and months, Real Madrid are expected to keep working on him quietly, while most of the spotlight will be taken by their links with the two other high-profile defenders, Alphonso Davies and Trent Alexander Arnold.