Report: Leicester City Handed Transfer Lifeline After €5.5m Move for ‘Superb’ Star Collapses
The Foxes urgently need to bolster their squad before the 2024/25 Premier League season kicks off.
Steve Cooper aims for Leicester City to strengthen in three key areas before the August 30th deadline: a new striker, a central midfielder, and a number 10.
Owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has been actively working to address these needs over the past week.
Adam Hlozek is anticipated to join Leicester from Bayer Leverkusen on a loan deal with a £17 million obligation to purchase if Leicester avoids relegation.
Additionally, Facundo Buonanotte has recently joined, bringing much-needed creativity to the attacking third.
The signings for the newly-promoted side are expected to continue. Leicester City has made a £23 million bid for Panathinaikos striker Fotis Ioannidis to replace Kelechi Iheanacho and provide cover for the injured Jamie Vardy.
Leicester has received an unexpected boost in their transfer efforts. Journalist Fabrice Hawkins reported on August 11th that Leicester was interested in signing Red Bull Salzburg defender Oumar Solet.
Although Solet was initially expected to join Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, German outlet Kicker reported on August 13th that the move fell through at the last minute.
The deal, as reported by Florian Plettenberg, was expected to cost Hoffenheim around £5.5 million.
Oumar Solet, who joined Salzburg in 2020, has become a key player for the Austrian side, making 104 appearances, scoring four goals, and assisting five.
He has earned high praise, including being dubbed ‘superb’ by journalist Zach Lowry.
Despite the defensive reinforcement he could provide, Leicester’s more pressing need appears to be in other areas.
Leicester’s defense struggled during pre-season, failing to keep a clean sheet in any proper pre-season games.
However, their more significant issue lies in their attack. Cooper’s team failed to score in their last three pre-season fixtures, and with both Vardy and Patson Daka injured, they might face Tottenham Hotspur without an experienced number nine.
While the arrival of Hlozek should alleviate some pressure, given Vardy’s age and the abundance of centre-backs Leicester already has, securing another striker should be a higher priority than pursuing Solet.
