Real Madrid have one of the best starting center back duos in world football in Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger, who each have legitimate shouts at being the best individual central defender on the planet today.
Aside from them, Real Madrid have a couple of talented prospects rising through the ranks, with Joan Martinez being the best of the bunch. Compared to Sergio Ramos, Martinez unfortunately suffered an ACL tear before his season could start, but Real Madrid have high hopes for him.
Meanwhile, veteran David Alaba, one of the best defenders of his generation, is also recovering from an ACL tear with serious questions regarding his future contributions due to the slow nature of his recovery from this serious injury.
Therefore, Rudiger and Militao are the only center backs Real Madrid can count on in the 2024/25 season after Nacho Fernandez’s departure to Saudi Arabia. Real Madrid believe in their prospects and have thus been slow to sign center backs, especially since Dani Carvajal, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Ferland Mendy are all perfectly competent emergency options.
Yet coach Carlo Ancelotti has been quietly pushing for another center back, and MARCA report that the club is showing an interest in one of the most talented and underrated young center backs in European football, RB Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba.
Mohamed Simakan is another great, young, and underrated center back in Leipzig who has been linked to Real Madrid in the past, but Lukeba is younger at 21 and could be even more exciting.
Lukeba once averaged 2.2 interceptions per game for Lyon in Ligue 1, and now he is a regular starter for Leipzig. The Frenchman is having a great start to the 2024/25 season, averaging three combined tackles and interceptions per game for the Bundesliga giants.
An active defender who is good on the ball with a pass completion percentage over 90, Lukeba can bring progressive qualities as a ball-carrier and passer that suit the modern game while playing actual defense at a very high level.
Real Madrid need to only sign the absolute best options at center back. Anyone else is a waste of time. Ideally, they will sign a young CB who can partner with Militao in the future, capable of starting now and becoming world-class in the future.
Lukeba could be that guy for Real Madrid, and while he should be affordable, he won’t be cheap either. Leipzig know how to sell, as Barcelona can attest with their recent summer signing of Dani Olmo.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.