Chelsea appear to have been handed a huge potential boost towards signing Castello Lukeba in the summer. The 20-year-old defender has been briefly linked with a move to the Premier League lately as he continues to impress for Lyon.
Lukeba, who sees his contract at the Groupama Stadium expire in 2025, has featured 29 times at the heart of Laurent Blanc's defence in Ligue 1 this season, helping the French club keep five clean sheets. The France youth international has played a pivotal role in Lyon's recent success as they look to clinch a European qualification spot.
According to L'Equipe, the Blues tried – and failed – to sign Lukeba with a bid of £38million last year but, with Thiago Silva entering the final years of his career, they could reignite their interest in the summer. The report states that the Frenchman is in the process of changing agents, indicating that a move could be on the cards soon.
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Chelsea have already taken a player from Lyon this season – Malo Gusto. After signing for the Blues in the final week of the January transfer window, he returned to his boyhood club on loan until the end of the season.
It's been reported that the west Londoners paid around £26million, including add-ons, for the 19-year-old right-back. Chelsea's side would have significantly benefitted from welcoming Gusto to Stamford Bridge this campaign, with Reece James' injury record becoming an issue as he is now likely to miss the rest of the season, but they were unable to agree that as party of the deal.
In a column for Caught Offside, Stan Collymore claimed that the England international's reputation for picking up knocks could soon hamper his development. The former Aston Villa striker said: "I’m not saying he is, but in football, you soon get a reputation for being a sick note, so this latest injury setback for Reece James is a big worry.
"He’s quite a well-built and muscular lad. I don’t know if he does much strength training in the gym but being so well developed means that your muscles and joints and tendons can go quite quickly, especially as a footballer that puts that much force on certain parts of the body."
Collymore continued by suggesting that James could soon lose his place for Chelsea and England, whether it be to Gusto or Trent Alexander-Arnold, respectively. He added: "It is a big worry for him because he doesn’t have time to waste.
"England will move on from him if he can’t get and stay in top condition and I think Chelsea would as well. I know he’s very well-liked at the club and the fans adore him, but with 33-year-old Cesar Azpilicueta as their only other natural right-back, the Blues can’t afford to wait on James’ endless injuries."
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