Leicester City transfer state of play as potential exits open door for new signings
Leicester City need to create space in their squad and build up a pot of cash to help bring in further January signings.
City have one man through the door with right-back Woyo Coulibaly arriving from Parma in a deal worth around £3m this week. But more signings are craved by manager Ruud van Nistelrooy as City battle to avoid the drop. Here, we run down the state of play with around a fortnight to go in the window.
What City want
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A right-back was one of the key positions for City to strengthen, but that’s now ticked off the list with Coulibaly’s arrival. Next up, a centre-back and a right-sided winger are expected to be priorities.
Van Nistelrooy has spoken of needing to cover for injuries in the squad, and has said Coulibaly helps in that regard, with Ricardo Pereira out for at least another couple of months. It’s why a new right-sided winger is wanted too, with Abdul Fatawu unavailable for the remainder of the season after his ACL tear.
City have not been linked to many, but one rumoured name who does catch the eye is 19-year-old Cyriaque Irie. The teenager has scored six goals and set up two more for struggling Ligue 2 side Troyes this season, with FootMercato reporting interest from City, Brentford, Lens, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.
A centre-back would also be a boost to City, who have kept just one clean sheet in 21 Premier League games so far this season. A left-footed option is likely to be preferred as that is something they currently lack.
City had been linked with Argentina Under-21 defender Valentin Gomez, a league winner with Velez Sarsfield last month, but it seemed he was heading to Cruzeiro in Brazil. However, that deal has now broken down, opening up the opportunity for City to pursue the 21-year-old.
Beyond that, a new striker arrival is not ruled out. City were heavily linked with Brighton’s Evan Ferguson prior to the window opening, but he can’t arrive on loan without Facundo Buonanotte heading back, while he’s likely to be out of their budget for a permanent deal.
Under Steve Cooper, a left-back and a goalkeeper were also craved, with Tottenham’s Ben Davies and Luton’s Thomas Kaminski. There have been suggestions that City could still consider a move for players in those positions under the current regime, especially in goal, where there are doubts over the fitness of Mads Hermansen.
What they need to do
To help with their pursuit of players in those positions, City need to generate cash and create space in their squad. Coulibaly’s arrival means all 25 slots in their Premier League line-up are now filled up, and so players will either have to be moved on or left out to make way for any further recruits.
That Coulibaly has only come in for around £3m shows the budget City are working to. If they can swell the pot of money available with sales, they will do.
It’s why van Nistelrooy has said the club are looking in the loan market too. But as things stand, City can’t bring in any players from Premier League rivals as their two slots are filled by Buonanotte and Odsonne Edouard.
The contenders to go
In terms of money-making, the sale of Tom Cannon is the big one. He’s been recalled from Stoke with the intention of leaving for a decent fee, with Sheffield United looking well-placed to take the striker for an eight-figure sum.
Van Nistelrooy is giving nothing away though. Asked if Cannon would definitely be sold and not incorporated into the squad, he said: “We have to address his situation. We are doing it. Internally we know what we think is best for us and for Tom. As soon as that is clear, we will communicate it. We won’t make further comments on that situation.”
Asked if the money made from Cannon’s sale would be invested into transfers, the manager replied: “That’s all hypothetical. There’s no need to go into that now. We’ll talk about that when the facts come out.”
Edouard is the other man expected to leave. If Crystal Palace were to sell the Frenchman to MLS side Atlanta United, that would open up City’s second Premier League loan spot, and would mean they don’t have to go about cancelling Edouard’s loan themselves, something that may come at a price.
A few other players have been linked away. Hamza Choudhury is fifth-choice in the midfield pecking order and is the subject of interest from Sheffield United.
Caleb Okoli has been linked to Parma and the centre-back was absent from the City squad that faced Crystal Palace. He could be a contender to go if a new central defender arrives, although van Nistelrooy is not admitting as much.
Asked about the Italian’s future, the manager said: “He’s part of the squad. He will be involved in training and in the planning for the coming games. There’s no problem on Caleb.”
