“Leicester City Close to Selling £17m Midfielder to European Club”

Boubakary Soumare joined Leicester City from Lille for £17 million in July 2021, according to Sky Sports.

Over his first two seasons with the Foxes, he made 59 appearances across all competitions.

After Leicester’s relegation to the Championship at the end of the 2022/23 season, Soumare was loaned to Sevilla. During his time in Spain, he made 34 appearances and led his teammates in La Liga for possessions won in the middle third (77).

Sevilla had an option to make his move permanent, but their failure to qualify for European football hindered the transfer, leading Soumare to return to Leicester.

Fenerbahce is now making a move for Soumare. In July, Marseille insider La Minute OM reported the French club’s interest in signing him, but that interest has since cooled.

Instead, Turkish outlet Aslinda (via Sport Witness) now reports that Fenerbahce is seriously pursuing the midfielder.

The Istanbul club, which finished second to Galatasaray last season with 99 points in 38 games, has prioritized strengthening their central midfield.

This need became urgent after former Manchester United player Fred suffered a knee ligament injury in pre-season.

Manager Jose Mourinho is seeking an experienced player to fill this gap, and Fenerbahce has reportedly taken “concrete steps” in their pursuit of Soumare.

Soumare played 11 minutes off the bench as Leicester drew 1-1 with Tottenham in their first game back in the Premier League on Monday.