Castello Lukeba has completed a €35m transfer from Lyon to RB Leipzig having signed a five year contract with the Bundesliga side.
He was announced as Leipzig’s latest signing following the completion of the second part of his medical examination this morning, August 11.
This move comes after Lyon’s American owner, John Textor, gave his approval for Lukeba to make the switch to the Bundesliga side.
From the start of this summer transfer window, the 20-year-old had a strong desire to join the Red Bull-owned team.
However, Lyon remained determined in their efforts to persuade their highly-rated prospect to extend his contract, which is set to expire in June 2025.
On Tuesday, August 8, Textor and Lukeba had a meeting where the U21 French international expressed his desire to leave.
He had already sent a text message to Textor the previous week, asking to leave, but had not received a clear response.
According to reports, Textor came to understand during the in-person meeting that the center-back was no longer considering Lyon and approved his move to RB Leipzig.
Meanwhile, Italian journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed this morning that Castello Lukeba has signed a five-year deal to join RB Leipzig as their new player.
After Lyon turned down multiple offers from the German club, the parties have agreed on a deal that includes a fee of over €30 million, with an additional €5 million in add-ons to be paid to OL.
The contract of the Frenchman will extend until June 2028, and he has been selected as a replacement for Gvardiol, who recently joined Manchester City.
Leipzig have demonstrated a strong desire to sign the U21 French international, who is considered the perfect candidate to replace Joško Gvardiol.
The Bundesliga side had recently felt a stronger need for reinforcements as their center-back, El Chadaille Bitshiabu, will be out for an extended period due to a knee ligament injury.
The Lyon defender will be joining the Bundesliga as Gvardiol’s replacement which will provide him with an ambitious new challenge in his young career.
RB Leipzig latest signing Castello Lukeba
Castello Junior Lukeba, also known as Castello Jr. (born 17 December 2002) is a French professional footballer who recently joined as a centre-back for Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
Castello Lukeba’s club career
Lukeba joined Olympique Lyonnais’s Academy in 2011 and signed his first professional contract with the club on 1 July 2021.
On August 7, 2021, he had his professional debut for Olympique Lyonnais as a starter in the opening round of the 2021-22 Ligue 1 against Stade Brestois 29.
On December 22, 2021, he achieved a significant milestone by scoring his first goal for the club. The goal was scored against FC Metz and was a result of a well-executed header.
His International career
Lukeba was born in France and has Angolan heritage.
In November 2021, he made the decision to represent France at the international level and received his first call-up for the France U-21 team.
