The Foxes are hoping to make additions to the squad ahead of the new Premier League season
Leicester City continue to be linked with further signings, highlighting the size of the task handed to Steve Cooper.
A club that wins the Championship is usually well-equipped to make some alterations, then attack the new season with confidence. In City ‘s case the bare bones have been stripped from the team as Chelsea took manager Enzo Maresca and star player Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Some signings have been made to offset the losses, though Cooper still has a job to carry out in order to make sure his team are ready for the season opener against Tottenham Hotspur in exactly one month’s time.
With all of this said, Leicestershire Live provides a round-up of several recent pieces of transfer news and rumours from around the King Power Stadium…
Leicester City’s interest in midfielder Oliver Skipp is unlikely to progress to a transfer with Tottenham reluctant to part with their homegrown talent.
City are the latest club to be linked to the 23-year-old, with Leeds also named as a suitor. And it seems Skipp would be open to leaving Spurs, having made just five Premier League starts last season.
However, a summer move is not on the cards. Sky Sports report that Skipp’s homegrown status makes him a valuable asset for Tottenham as they prepare for their Europa League campaign.
If Spurs want to fill their permitted 25-man squad in Europe, they need four club-trained players, those who spent at least three years in the academy at the club before they turned 18. With Harry Kane and Harry Winks no longer at Spurs, Skipp is the only senior outfield player that meets that description.
Foxes in for Rios
Leicester City are reportedly rivalling Everton for the signature of Palmeiras midfielder Richard Rios, with inquiries over his availability said to have been sent to Brazil in recent days.
With almost a month until Leicester ‘s Premier League opener against Tottenham Hotspur, new manager Steve Cooper could still have work to do reinforcing his midfield. The £30m transfer of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has left the club particularly light on attack-minded players in the centre, with 18-year-old summer recruit Michael Golding the only squad member currently hitting this brief.
If Cooper chooses to turn to the transfer market to address the issue, then Brazilian outlet UOL have suggested Sao Paulo could hold the answer in the former of a player who recently announced himself on the world stage.
Rios, aged 24, played an integral part in Colombia’s efforts at the 2024 Copa America tournament. He made six appearances and scored in a 5-0 quarter-final rout of Panama. Ultimately, though, it was heartbreak for his country, who lost to Argentina in the final last weekend.
He has also made 120 club appearances in South America, preferring to operate from the right side of central midfield. Now, the latest report states City and Premier League rivals Everton are attempting to lure him to England.
Foxes receive transfer snub
Leicester City’s pursuit of Matias Soule looks to be all but over with the Juventus attacker said to be snubbing a move to the Premier League.
City have been prominently linked with Soule for the past couple of weeks, vying with Roma for his signature. But while it initially seemed the transfer battle would be won by whichever club met Juventus’s asking price, the 21-year-old’s own preference looks set to be decisive.
It was previously reported that, while Soule was leaning towards a prolonged stay in Serie A, he was not against a move to City. But on Wednesday night, Gazzetta dello Sport reported Soule has definitively decided Roma is his next destination and that he has no desire to move to City nor West Ham, the other Premier League side credited with interest.
The Italian capital is just an hour from where Soule spent last season, on loan at Frosinone, while he has friends already at Roma in fellow Argentinians Paulo Dybala and Leandro Paredes. It’s said he feels it would be easier to integrate into life at Roma than it would be to do so in England.
All that is needed is an agreement between Roma and Juventus and the capital club have now submitted a bid of €25m plus €5m in bonuses. That’s the same offer City were reported to have made.
Bid for Alexis
Leicester City have reportedly placed a bid for AC Milan and Belgium winger Alexis Saelemaekers.
SportItalia report that City have shown their interest in the 25-year-old in the form of an opening offer that is not too far from Milan’s asking price. Reports elsewhere suggest the valuation is between €12m and €15m (£10-£12.5m).
Saelemaekers has been a Milan player for four-and-a-half years since arriving from Anderlecht, albeit he spent last term on loan at Bologna. Mostly operating on the left wing, in front of City’s Victor Kristiansen, Saelemaekers provided four goals and three assists to help Bologna qualify for the Champions League.
Like Kristiansen, it does not appear he is returning to the club after they changed managers this summer, meaning he’s now looking for a move elsewhere. As well as City, Nottingham Forest and Ipswich have been linked.
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