Indispensable €70m-rated centre-back in tug-of-war between Man United and Chelsea

After the way in which Man United and Chelsea collapsed in their most recent matches, it’s clear that both need to shore up their defence this summer.

The Blues are likely to lose experienced campaigner, Thiago Silva, whilst the Red Devils need to decide which of the current crop of centre-backs they want to keep given how injury prone they’ve been as well as being well below par in many of the games played.

Against Coventry in the FA Cup semi-final at the weekend, Erik ten Hag’s side almost blew a three-goal lead, and if it were not for VAR, the Sky Blues would’ve completed one of the best comebacks that the competition has ever seen.

Man United and Chelsea want Castello Lukeba

Chelsea no doubt hoped to banish the memories of the loss of their semi-final against Man City.

Despite having numerous chances throughout the game, just like in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool, the Blues couldn’t take advantage.

Playing Arsenal on Tuesday night could’ve been the perfect opportunity to quickly get the City match out of their system, but instead they were completely ineffective up front – again – and resorted to schoolboy defending at the back.

A 5-0 win for the Gunners in no way flattered them, and that will surely infuriate Mauricio Pochettino.

In any event, Foot Mercato note the interest of both clubs in RB Leipzig’s excellent 21-year-old centre-back, Castello Lukeba.

The player apparently has a €70m release clause in his contract with the Bundesliga outfit, but it doesn’t become active until 2025.

Given the inherent need to get a world-class exponent in before the start of the new season, it’s a fair bet that both Premier League outfits would be willing to splash the cash this summer.

Of course, it isn’t clear at this stage if either Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino will still be in charge, but that doesn’t negate the fact that a centre-back still needs to be bought.