It might be expected that when the smaller of two clubs with shared owners has a gem of a player in their ranks, that they would be sold to their sister side. It happened in the summer when Savinho joined Manchester City from Troyes, having been on loan at Girona, with all three clubs under the same ownership.

But it does not look like it will happen with King Power clubs this month. Leicester City had been linked to OH Leuven’s promising Dutch youth international midfielder Ezechiel Banzuzi at the end of last year, but it looks like they’re now out of the picture. Monaco are the heavy favourites to sign the 19-year-old.

A physically-imposing, forward-thinking midfielder, Banzuzi has two goals and five assists in all competitions for Leuven this season, and has shown excellent qualities in ball-carrying and in aerial battles. Given his age, his progress this season has not gone unnoticed.

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According to reports from the Netherlands, Monaco are leading the race for Banzuzi, with a fee likely to be around €13m (£10.8m), which would be a record sale for Leuven. There’s suggestions the Belgian club may request to take the teenager back on loan until the end of the campaign.

While City have been ruled out of the running, there were reports West Ham may look to hijack the deal. Even amid their managerial drama, they have been linked to midfielders this month, including City’s reigning player of the season Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who could depart Chelsea.

Moder links return

Before Dewsbury-Hall made his £30m switch to Stamford Bridge, it initially looked like he would be heading to Brighton in a swap deal for Jakub Moder. Now, more than six months on, links between City and the Poland international have re-emerged.

It’s been said that City, Everton, Stuttgart and Freiburg are taking a look at Moder, who is well down the pecking order with the Seagulls. He’s played eight minutes of Premier League football this term.

The 25-year-old is out of contract in the summer, and so would come cheap. But a central midfielder is not thought to be top of City’s priority list right now. Ruud van Nistelrooy currently has Harry Winks, Boubakary Soumare, Wilfred Ndidi, Oliver Skipp and Hamza Choudhury to choose from.

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