Championship leaders Leicester City could be just as busy as anyone next month.
- Following a botched deal earlier, Dennis Praet is being pursued by Serie A team Torino, making his departure from Leicester City seem likely.Leicester City is one of the teams interested in signing Matt O’Riley from Celtic, but they will have to compete with other teams for his £25 million contract.Due to stalled contract negotiations, Kelechi Iheanacho’s future at Leicester City is in doubt. Aston Villa may make a £5–10 million bid for the striker.January will soon come to an end, and the transfer window will soon open.Even though Leicester City is atop the Championship, they will still have a busy schedule in 2019 in terms of both new hires and departures.The most recent Leicester transfer news is available here.
Serie A side pursuing Praet
Dennis Praet’s journey at Leicester City since joining the team in 2019 has been quite turbulent.
The 29-year-old may soon be returning to a previous team because he has only ever exceeded the 1,000-minute threshold for the team once, and that was during his first season in England.
Praet spent the previous season on loan at Torino, Italy, where he played in 23 Serie A games and left a lasting impression.
The pursuit can now resume after Calciomercato revealed that Il Toro was interested in adding him back to the squad, but that agreement fell through.
Praet’s departure from Leicester seems likely given that he has only played in five Championship appearances this season for a total of 165 minutes. This is due to reports from Torino News that a deal is close to being reached.
Celtic clinging on to star
Leicester look as if they have what it takes to bounce straight back up to the top-flight but Enzo Maresca clearly isn’t one to rest on his laurels.
They are prepared to battle it out with teams such as West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Inter Milan for Celtic’s Matt O’Riley, according to various reports.
It is Sky Sports that have linked O’Riley with the Serie A switch and the latest development might be a dampener on the mood at the King Power Stadium.
Football Insider revealed just how desperate Brendan Rodgers and Celtic are to retain the services of the Fulham academy graduate, with a £25 million price tag being put on his head.
Potential Premier League return for Iheanacho
Praet leaving wouldn’t be the end of the world given that he is hardly at the fore of Maresca’s plans but the same can’t be said for Kelechi Iheanacho.
The striker has featured in 19 of the 24 league games played thus far this season and he has contributed six goals and two assists to the cause, in all competitions.
| Leicester City’s top goalscorers this season, as per The BBC | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Minutes per goal |
| Stephy Mavididi | 25 | 8 | 4 | 244 |
| Kieran Dewsbury-Hall | 27 | 7 | 9 | 296 |
| Jamie Vardy | 19 | 7 | 1 | 140 |
| Kelechi Iheanacho | 21 | 6 | 2 | 166 |
| Kasey McAteer | 14 | 5 | 0 | 154 |
| Wilfred Ndidi | 23 | 4 | 6 | 357 |
| Patson Daka | 7 | 4 | 2 | 98 |
There has regularly been transfer talk about the former Manchester City man, both when Leicester were in the Premier League and since they faced relegation as well.
Aston Villa are the latest to come calling, a side who are certainly heading in the right direction under Unai Emery’s guidance.
Ollie Watkins is the shining light in their forward line with Iheanacho now being spoken about as a potential addition. Football Insider claim that a mere £5-10 million fee could secure the services of the Nigerian.
Contract talks between Iheanacho and Leicester City are faltering which is why Villa have such an enticing opportunity at their fingertips.
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