Report: Cooper Targets ‘Highly-Coveted’ Striker with 25 G/A for Leicester City, Available for Just £500k
"Leicester City Target Bargain Move for Striker Coming Off a 22-Goal Season Ahead of Premier League Return"
Despite winning the Championship, there has been considerable negativity surrounding Leicester City this summer.
This is mainly due to promotion-winning manager Enzo Maresca leaving to take the Chelsea job, and financial concerns leading to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall following the Argentine coach to West London.
Although Leicester received £30 million for Dewsbury-Hall’s transfer, it has done little to appease fans who have lost not only the club’s best player but also a boyhood Foxes fan.
With the June 30th financial deadline now passed, Leicester can begin focusing on bringing in new players. Manager Steve Cooper is looking to do just that with a bargain move for a new centre-forward.
Currently, Leicester has Jamie Vardy, Patson Daka, and Tom Cannon as senior strikers. After seeing Kelechi Iheanacho leave upon the expiration of his contract, the new Leicester boss is seeking more firepower up front.
This need has led Cooper and Leicester to Espanyol striker Martin Braithwaite.
According to Spanish news outlet AS, Leicester is ‘interested’ in the ‘highly-coveted’ striker, with his release clause of just £500k making the Dane an attractive option.
Beyond the bargain fee, Braithwaite is coming off his best goalscoring season, having scored 22 goals and assisted three, leading Espanyol to promotion to La Liga.
However, this level of performance is an exception rather than the rule for the 33-year-old’s career, which may be attributed to the drop in competition level.
Prior to the 2023/24 season, Braithwaite’s best tally was 11 league goals in the French top flight during the 2016/17 season.
While the low fee is enticing, relying on Braithwaite for survival hopes is risky.
Fans may remember the Denmark international’s previous spell in England with Middlesbrough, where he scored eight Championship goals before being moved on two years later between 2016 and 2018.
Considering this history, Leicester may be better off exploring other striker options, but Braithwaite’s situation is certainly one to keep an eye on.
