Report: €65m-rated Bundesliga defender would be willing to give green light to Barcelona move

Report: €65m-rated Bundesliga defender would be willing to give green light to Barcelona move According to reports relayed by SPORT , RB Leipzig centre-back Castello Lukeba is back on FC Barcelona’s radar. The French defender wanted to leave the Bundesliga last summer, but ultimately did not receive an offer that interested him. However, now he would now be willing to give Barça the green light if the Catalan club were to make a move in January or next June. As per the report, Barça are still monitoring the French left-footed defender and that Hansi Flick has received very positive reports on him and is convinced he would adapt to his style of play. And should the La Liga champions decide to enter the race seriously, Lukeba would prioritise interest from Barça over Premier League clubs, several of whom made enquiries about him during the summer. Lukeba would be willing to join Barcelona. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) Barça considered strengthening at centre-back Barcelona’s sporting department wanted to strengthen the defence during the last transfer window, and Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni was seen as a top target. However, Flick rejected the idea of signing the Italian international. The club then decided to invest almost all of its available resources in attacking positions, with the aim of reshaping much of the forward line. Deco nevertheless believed that signing a left-footed defender would make sense, despite the number of options already available in defence. The likes of Aymeric Laporte, Ruud Nijstad, and Cristian Romero were all considered but nothing came of it. Lukeba remains on the shortlist Barcelona like Lukeba. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images) Andreas Christensen’s latest injury has now prompted Barcelona to assess their options again, although the club’s preference remains not to make further additions in January unless a major sale takes place. Nonetheless, Lukeba has re-emereged on the Catalans’ agenda. He was also one of the names discussed during the summer, with Barça making initial enquiries about his situation without taking the talks any further. At 23 years old, the Frenchman is regarded as one of the centre-backs with the greatest potential on the market, and Barcelona view him as a significant option for both the present and the future. According to the report, Leipzig would be prepared to let Lukeba leave for a fee of around €65 million, although the price could be lower because the player is determined to bring his time in the Bundesliga to an end.