Officials at Manchester City have identified a new potential transfer target to reinforce their defensive positions, a new report has claimed.
Pep Guardiola’s squad is arguably most stacked in the defensive ranks, with their stellar Treble-winning season of 2022/23 largely built on a formidable defence that enabled the club to go all the way in three competitions.
That same season was also the first time that Manchester City had managed to win the UEFA Champions League, and much of that was down to positional flexibility offered by John Stones as he ventured into midfield, as well as Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis’ emergence at full-back.
But the signing of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig in a £78 million transfer back in the summer market that immediately followed the club’s Treble win highlighted Manchester City’s insistence on not settling with the strength that they already have.
And as such it may come as no surprise to now see the club linked with the next rising defensive prospects from across the European game, in a pursuit that could see Etihad officials brought back to the negotiating table with their colleagues at Leipzig.
That is according to the information of Football Transfers’ Steve Kay, who reports that RB Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba is now among the options under consideration at Manchester City, having emerged as one of Europe’s most exciting defensive talents.
It is claimed that since moving to Leipzig in the summer of 2023, Lukeba’s development has been ‘closely monitored’ by scouts at the Premier League champions, who view him as a ‘potential cornerstone of their future defence’.
Unsurprisingly, City are not alone in their interest, with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, and Real Madrid also credited as being admirers of the player, who has a €90 million release clause for 2025, reducing to €80 million in 2026, and €65 million in 2027.
For now, it appears as though Manchester City may need to see one of their existing options within the defensive ranks leave the club in order for Pep Guardiola to accommodate another name in his unit.
One huge positive for Manchester City within their hunt for new signings will undoubtedly be the clarity provided by Pep Guardiola, who has decided to remain in charge of the club into a 10th season.
The 53-year-old, following positive talks with Khaldoon Al Mubarak among other members of the club’s hierarchy, this week agreed to a new one-year deal with the option of an additional 12 months, which could keep him in charge until the end of the 2026/27 campaign.
