Man Utd repeatedly spy high-performing Bundesliga defender as Ten Hag wonders if he can pull off transfer in time

Manchester United are not losing sight of RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba despite being unable to sign him when he was at Lyon, according to reports in Germany.

Lukeba caught Man Utd’s attention earlier this year, but RB Leipzig won the race to sign him from Lyon instead in the summer in a transfer that cost somewhere in the region of €34m.

Defence is still an area that Man Utd are looking to address, since they might need to find a long-term successor to Raphael Varane.

With that in mind, Bild has claimed they are still keeping an eye on Lukeba, who has played 16 times for RB Leipzig since signing a contract until 2028 in the summer.

The report explains that Man Utd scouts have been repeatedly watching the Frenchman this season.

However, they will simply have to keep adding to their reports for now, since RB Leipzig are ruling out the idea of selling Lukeba after just one season.

With that in mind, the earliest Man Utd might have a chance of signing Lukeba is 2025 – the same year in which Erik ten Hag’s contract as manager is due to expire.

Ten Hag could do with some reinforcements to his squad to ease the pressure he has been under and although he apparently still has the club’s faith, whether he will be able to sign Lukeba before his spell in charge ends is up for question.

In terms of the playing squad, 2025 will also see Varane and Harry Maguire come to the end of their contracts, while Jonny Evans’ deal will also have expired by then barring a turn of events.

Meanwhile, Victor Lindelof has revealed Man Utd are likely to activate an option to extend his contract from 2024 to 2025 – but that also means he could leave before Lukeba arrives.

It is not yet clear, though, how much Man Utd might have to invest in order to make Lukeba one of their successors.

Lukeba has high potential

At the age of 20, he is a player with high potential. In recent months, he has earned his first taste of Champions League action with RB Leipzig and his senior international debut for France.

After his 68 appearances for Lyon, he is continuing his progress with RB Leipzig. The fact he is developing in a second of Europe’s top five leagues can only be a good thing as he aims to equip himself for a bright future.

RB Leipzig have been a good club for developing talents to export to the Premier League in recent years – and perhaps at some point, Lukeba could follow suit. But they want to benefit from their investment for a little longer first.

As a left-footed centre-back, Lukeba would provide competition for Lisandro Martinez at Man Utd. With a deal until 2027, the Argentine is the centre-back tied down for the longest at Old Trafford out of Man Utd’s current options, but he has encountered some injury issues recently.

It could therefore be beneficial to eventually have some support for the World Cup winner, but by the time Lukeba could be ready to take that leap, he might not be wanting a backup role.

Only time will tell if the effort Man Utd are now putting in eventually pays off.

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