Four escalating Leicester City transfer headlines on Brassier, Khusanov, Gomez and Malanda
Leicester City want a new centre-back this January window and the links are coming thick and fast.
The latest name to emerge is that of Marseille’s Lilian Brassier. Foot Mercato report that City have joined Nice, Wolfsburg and Villarreal in making enquiries over the 25-year-old.
A member of the Brest team that shocked France to qualify for the Champions League last season, Brassier followed his heart in joining Marseille on loan this term. But it’s not going as well as hoped under Roberto De Zerbi.
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In fact, Brassier has found himself out of the team over the past month, making just one added-time cameo over the past five games in all competitions. That’s seen clubs like City sniff around.
There’s no suggestion that Brassier wants to end his Marseille spell yet, but a further lack of football through January may convince him otherwise. City may then be one of the teams looking to snap him up.
Interestingly, Brassier is left-footed, like a couple of the centre-backs City are said to have targeted. The current quartet available to Ruud van Nistelrooy – Conor Coady, Jannik Vestergaard, Wout Faes, and Caleb Okoli – are all right-footed.
Khusanov hype continues
Also playing in France is Uzbekistan international Abdukodir Khusanov, and the hype around the Lens centre-back continues. Scoring against PSG in the Coupe de France last week put his name in the headlines again.
Of the centre-backs City have been linked to, he seems the most difficult to sign because of the expected price-tag, which is around £25m, and because of the other sides interested. City may struggle to win a battle with Newcastle, Tottenham and Wolves for his signature.
He would arrive highly regarded though. Here’s Khusanov’s current manager Will Still describing his qualities earlier this season: “He's calm, powerful, he's fast. He doesn't talk but he's good. When I arrived, with the departure of Kev [Danso] in sight, Jean-Louis Leca [Lens' sports coordinator] told me: 'Don't worry, there's Kodir who is here, and he's ready.' He wasn't wrong. He has very, very impressive potential.”
‘Enquiry made’ for Malanda
City have also reportedly made an enquiry over French centre-back Adilson Malanda. They won’t be short of first-hand accounts of the 23-year-old’s qualities as he’s currently at Charlotte FC in MLS, where former City manager Dean Smith is in charge, and where title-winning left-back Christian Fuchs is assistant.
Malanda signed for Charlotte from Ligue 2 side Rodez and has been in the States for two-and-a-half years. He’s become a regular for the club in that time.
It seems a big step up from MLS to the Premier League, and that will place doubts over whether Malanda is the right man for City. Albeit Aston Villa hotshot Jhon Duran was brought into the club from Chicago Fire.
Van Nistelrooy’s mate wants Gomez too
One of the most interesting centre-backs linked to City ahead of January is Argentinian youth international Valentin Gomez. He’s just won the title in his home nation with Velez Sarsfield and is regarded as one of the best young centre-backs in South America.
As such, he’s attracting interest from all over the continent, and beyond too. Mexican side Monterrey have now been linked. They are managed by Martin Demichelis, a friend of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s from their time together at Malaga and someone who the City boss went to visit during his time out of management.
But City and Lazio are more likely to be frontrunners as things stand. Gomez has said he wants to progress his career in Europe.
