Leicester City have been very active in the transfer market since their promotion back to the Premier League.

They have brought in four new signings to the club, but they must now look to offload their fringe players and make way for other incoming ads.

The Foxes have a bloated squad and they cannot afford to head into the new season with that. Selling some of their fringe players would be useful and a report from Leicester Mercury suggests that they could raise up to £52 million by selling the likes of Harry Souttar, Victor Kristiansen, Boubakary Soumare and Patson Daka.

The report states that Souttar could fetch around £10 million this summer and it will be interesting to see if Steve Cooper is ready to sanction his departure. His predecessor Enzo Maresca would have sold Souttar if he had stayed at the club.

Meanwhile, Kristiansen did not have a place under Maresca last season and he went out on loan with Bologna. It will be interesting to see if Leicester City are willing to sanction his departure for a fee of around £15 million.

More Stories / Latest News

Exclusive: Arsenal transfer target could move for €25-30m, two other clubs have had bids rejected so far

Jul 23 2024, 14:26

Liverpool looking to steal 6ft 5in player from Aston Villa

Jul 23 2024, 14:02

Returning Arsenal star praises key figure who was “very supportive” during lengthy injury

Jul 23 2024, 14:00

Soumare was on loan at Sevilla last season and the Spanish club are reportedly keen on keeping him for the long term. A fee of around £10 million has been mentioned and it remains to be seen whether the Spanish outfit are ready to pay up.

The midfielder will want to continue in La Liga after having impressed with them.

Finally, Daka has had a difficult time at Leicester City this past season and it is time for the Foxes to move him on and bring him an upgrade.

The attacker is reportedly valued at around £12 million. It remains to be seen whether Leicester can get rid of their fringe players in the coming weeks and improve their squad adequately before the new season begins.

The post Leicester could cash in on quartet to raise some funds this summer appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Leicester City are looking to sell Boubakary Soumare at the end of the season.

The 25-year-old midfielder is currently on loan at Spanish club Sevilla and they will not be able to sign him permanently because of their financial limitations, according to ABC. They will have to pay €15 million in order to sign the midfielder permanently at the end of the season and they are unable to afford that.

Soumare will be looking to sort out his long-term future in the summer, and it will be interesting to see where he ends up. The 25-year-old would have hoped to join the Spanish club on a permanent basis.

Soumare does not have a future at the Championship club and he will probably hope to join a big club this summer. Leicester have secured promotion to the Premier League and Soumare could be attracted to the idea of competing in the top flight if the opportunity presents itself.

Competing in the Premier League can be quite attractive for most players and the 25-year-old midfielder could be tempted if Leicester are prepared to offer him ample game time next season.

More Stories / Latest News

Exclusive: Arsenal transfer target could move for €25-30m, two other clubs have had bids rejected so far

Jul 23 2024, 14:26

Liverpool looking to steal 6ft 5in player from Aston Villa

Jul 23 2024, 14:02

Returning Arsenal star praises key figure who was “very supportive” during lengthy injury

Jul 23 2024, 14:00

Boubakary Soumare could be a useful option

The Foxes will need more quality and depth in their squad in order to do well in the Premier League next year. Soumare could be a useful player and he will add defensive cover and drive in the middle of the park.

The 25-year-old midfielder is entering the peak years of his career and he will want to play at a reasonably high-level on a regular basis. Competing in the Premier League with the Foxes next season would be ideal for the midfielder and it remains to be seen how the situation develops.

If Soumare ends up leaving Leicester City, the €15 million valuation could prove to be very reasonable and the midfielder would be a superb acquisition for most clubs at that price.

The post €15m-rated Leicester midfielder facing uncertain future appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Leicester City midfielder Boubakary Soumare has plied his trade on loan with La Liga outfit Sevilla this season, and the Spanish side are keen on keeping the midfielder.

The Foxes gained promotion back to the Premier League last week and now Sevilla’s hopes of retaining Boubakary Soumare beyond his loan spell face a significant hurdle with Leicester City’s resurgence back to the top flight.

Estadio Deportivo reports that the Foxes’ promotion complicates Sevilla’s plans, as they have been eager to secure the midfielder’s services permanently. However, Leicester now hold a strong position in negotiations and could potentially integrate Soumare into their squad for the upcoming season.

Boubakary Soumare wants to play for Leicester City next season

The Frenchman reportedly favours this option, considering his contract with Leicester City extends until 2026. With Enzo Maresca’s intentions to initiate a Premier League project next season, it appears unlikely that Leicester will entertain offers for the midfielder in the next transfer window.

Sevilla have endured a mediocre campaign in La Liga, sitting 12th on 38 points as of writing. While the Leicester loanee has made 24  league appearances during his loan spell.

If the recent transfer rumours are true surrounding Wilfried Ndidi and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s potential departure in the upcoming transfer window then the Foxes will likely have to lean on Soumare next term.

The post 25-year-old says goodbye to his club ahead of Leicester City return appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Serie A champions Napoli have reportedly changed their transfer plans after abandoning their pursuit of Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

That’s according to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, who claims the Naples-based side have turned their attention to Leicester City’s Boubakary Soumare.

More Stories / Latest News

Exclusive: Arsenal transfer target could move for €25-30m, two other clubs have had bids rejected so far

Jul 23 2024, 14:26

Liverpool looking to steal 6ft 5in player from Aston Villa

Jul 23 2024, 14:02

Returning Arsenal star praises key figure who was “very supportive” during lengthy injury

Jul 23 2024, 14:00

Soumare, 24, is only on loan from Sevilla for the season, and although the Foxes have an option to buy, given these latest developments, there are now no guarantees the Championship side will get a transfer fee.

Nevertheless, with Walter Mazzarri targetting the young French midfielder as an ideal, and cheaper, alternative to Hojbjerg, Leicester City fans will now be expecting to lose another top player and one that would have certainly been expected to play a major role in the club’s push for automatic promotion.

The post Leicester City man tipped to secure massive transfer to Napoli appeared first on CaughtOffside.

La Liga side Sevilla are believed to be keen to activate the option to buy clause in Boubakary Soumare’s contract after the Leicester City loanee impressed against Arsenal on Tuesday night. 

The Spanish outfit lost 2-1 to the Gunners in their Champions League clash but the Frenchman was one of Sevilla’s standout stars on the night.

Soumare had a tricky start to life with the Andalusian club and didn’t feature much under Jose Luis Mendilibar but following his sacking, the 24-year-old has started two consecutive games under the new head coach Diego Alonso, staying on for the full 90 minutes in both matches.

Following Tuesday’s match, El Sevillista report the Spanish side are keen to sign the Leicester loanee permanently as they have the option to purchase Soumare for £13m as part of the current deal between the two clubs – Leicester signed Soumare from Lille for £17m in 2021.

The Frenchman is unlikely to have a future at the King Power next season, which is most likely going to be in the Premier League; therefore, the Foxes could bring in some money in order to fund new signings next summer.

More Stories / Latest News

Exclusive: Arsenal transfer target could move for €25-30m, two other clubs have had bids rejected so far

Jul 23 2024, 14:26

Liverpool looking to steal 6ft 5in player from Aston Villa

Jul 23 2024, 14:02

Returning Arsenal star praises key figure who was “very supportive” during lengthy injury

Jul 23 2024, 14:00

The post Leicester look certain to lose £17m ace to Champions League club appeared first on CaughtOffside.

After Leicester City were relegated from the Premier League, there was an air of certainty that they would end up losing some of their star players, and so it proved.

James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Harvey Barnes all departed, as did Boubakary Soumare, signed on loan by Spanish outfit, Sevilla, on deadline day.

All four might be rueing their keenness to get away from the Foxes, given that they’ve started the 2023/24 Championship season like a steam train.

Their four wins and one loss from their opening five games leaves Enzo Maresca’s side trailing leaders, Preston North End, by just a point, and in third behind Ipswich by virtue of goal difference.

Playing some pleasing-on-the-eye football, Leicester have to be one of the favourites to be in the shake up for promotion towards the end of the season.

More Stories / Latest News

Exclusive: Arsenal transfer target could move for €25-30m, two other clubs have had bids rejected so far

Jul 23 2024, 14:26

Liverpool looking to steal 6ft 5in player from Aston Villa

Jul 23 2024, 14:02

Returning Arsenal star praises key figure who was “very supportive” during lengthy injury

Jul 23 2024, 14:00

Soumare will still be in Seville, keen to repay club director, Victor Orta’s faith in him apparently.

According to AS (h/t Sport Witness), the player was seduced by the project at the Andalusian club.

“I can only say good things (about Leicester), even if collectively we were relegated. In England, I have grown and progressed in many aspects. Now I hope to do even better here,” he is quoted as saying by the outlet.

“Victor Orta convinced me about the project, which is what also seduces other footballers. And I’m going to work as hard as I can to justify coming.”

Though one can at least understand the decisions of players to move on at various stages of their careers, to jump ship in a club’s hour of need does suggest that there is little, if any, loyalty from them these days.

The post Club director convinced Leicester player to leave this summer appeared first on CaughtOffside.

According to a report by Italian outlet Il Mattino, Leicester City are now open to selling midfielder Boubakary Soumare.

Napoli are reportedly ‘very interested‘ in signing the player, and their manager Rudi Garcia is said to be highly keen on bringing him to the club.

Leicester City are demanding €20 million for Soumare’s sale, and they are also open to the possibility of a loan deal with an option to buy.

It remains to be seen whether Napoli agrees to pay the fee for a permanent transfer or negotiates a loan deal with an option to purchase.

More Stories / Latest News

Exclusive: Arsenal transfer target could move for €25-30m, two other clubs have had bids rejected so far

Jul 23 2024, 14:26

Liverpool looking to steal 6ft 5in player from Aston Villa

Jul 23 2024, 14:02

Returning Arsenal star praises key figure who was “very supportive” during lengthy injury

Jul 23 2024, 14:00

Soumare joined Leicester City from Lille in 2021 for a fee of €20 million and has since made 59 appearances for the club.

Leicester have seen several departures since their relegation, with Youri Tielemans joining Aston Villa on a free transfer, James Maddison leaving for Tottenham, and Harvey Barnes reportedly close to a move to Newcastle.

It appears that Soumare could be the next player to leave Leicester as the club looks to reshape its squad in the transfer market.

The post Leicester City open to selling midfielder to Napoli who are ‘very interested’ appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace side are reportedly interested in a move for Leicester City star Boubakary Soumare with the club aiming to fill the void left by Conor Gallagher after the Chelsea prodigy returned to his parent club – and the move could anger Arsenal, who held an interest in Soumare before he turned them down last season.

That’s according to the Daily Mail, who believe that Leicester would be keen to sell should Palace offer a fee of around £23m – which would see the Foxes recoup their fee paid last summer.

Leicester signed Soumare from Lille back in July 2021 after a series of superb performances saw Les Dogues win the French top-flight ahead of giants Paris Saint-Germain.

But it has not been simple for Soumare to break into the first-team; falling behind the pecking order to Wilfried Ndidi, James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

That has alerted Crystal Palace to his signature having lost Cheikhou Kouyate, James McCarthy and Gallagher over the last year, and he could excel under a Premier League midfield legend in Vieira.

And further reports have suggested Mikel Arteta could have signed the star last season after declaring his interest, although he has since move onto team-mate Tielemans.

It remains to be seen whether Soumare could have impressed heavily in the Gunners’ ranks, and we may never know with Tielemans likely to leave.

But if he has any influence similar to the performances Gallagher produced last season, Arsenal may well regret their snub.

MORE: “Unacceptable” – Erik ten Hag blasts Cristiano Ronaldo for recent decision

More Stories / Latest News

Exclusive: Arsenal transfer target could move for €25-30m, two other clubs have had bids rejected so far

Jul 23 2024, 14:26

Liverpool looking to steal 6ft 5in player from Aston Villa

Jul 23 2024, 14:02

Returning Arsenal star praises key figure who was “very supportive” during lengthy injury

Jul 23 2024, 14:00

The post Crystal Palace interested in midfielder who turned Arsenal down last year appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Monaco have entered talks with Leicester City over a loan move for Boubakary Soumare.

Soumare joined Leicester last summer on a five-year deal from Ligue 1 champions Lille for £17m states The Athletic but only made 19 Premier League appearances, 12 of which were starts, in his first season in England.

The French club are looking to bring in the 23-year-old to strengthen their midfield after losing midfielders Aurelien Tchouameni, who moved to Real Madrid for €100m states The Athletic, and Cesc Fabregas, who was released at the end of his contract this summer.

The loan move could do Soumare a lot of good and knows that if he performs up to standard, there could be a way back for him at Leicester City.

More Stories / Latest News

Exclusive: Arsenal transfer target could move for €25-30m, two other clubs have had bids rejected so far

Jul 23 2024, 14:26

Liverpool looking to steal 6ft 5in player from Aston Villa

Jul 23 2024, 14:02

Returning Arsenal star praises key figure who was “very supportive” during lengthy injury

Jul 23 2024, 14:00

What happened to Soumare at Leicester?

Upon his arrival, Soumare was tipped to be a star in the Premier League after an impressive season before in France and drew comparisons to players such as Yaya Toure as the Foxes hoped to have signed a player who could be an effective box-to-box player and that’s why they offered the midfielder a five-year deal.

However, the 23-year-old struggled to adapt to the English game but also had other personal issues which affected his integration, leading to inconsistency. On the pitch, the Frenchman was often caught taking too long on the ball and many questioned his tracking of runners and defensive abilities.

It is a surprise that Leicester are already trying to ship Soumare out, especially with the future of Youri Tielemans being uncertain, but the Foxes must think that this move is best for the player and that a year in France with Monaco can rebuild his confidence before coming back for a second try in England.

The post Monaco set sights on Leicester midfielder after disappointing season appeared first on CaughtOffside.

With another Saturday of Premier League fixtures now rounded up, it has once again been quite an educational day for football fans.

Saturday saw a whole host of different narratives, with wonderful solo goals, brilliant long-range efforts, last-minute drama, and goalkeeping heroics.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at five things we learned from the Premier League this Saturday.

Salah is currently the best in the world

Mohamed Salah has been a top footballer for many years now.

Since returning to the Premier League in 2017, Salah has gone on leaps and bounds as a footballer, going from a player who struggled for game time at Chelsea to a player to a player who can now seemingly score whenever he wants – to paraphrase from the ‘he scores when he wants’ chant.

It really says something when the other two Liverpool scorers on the day both achieved something significant, but the headlines are still talking solely about Salah.

Sadio Mane joined the 100 club in the Premier League by scoring his 100th league goal, making him the 31st player ever to do so, only the third African player to ever do so and only the third to do so without scoring a single penalty along the way. Meanwhile, Roberto Firmino scored the second Liverpool hat-trick of his career.

Yet when Salah produced a simply marvellous bit of skill to break out of a three defender circle around him, to then cut back inside and shoot into the far corner, the adjectives to describe the Egyptian began to run dry.

Another Salah goal ? Peter Drury.

Enjoy. pic.twitter.com/JWKzsXPfdP

— The Redmen TV (@TheRedmenTV) October 16, 2021

Pictures courtesy of BT Sport

He is simply playing on a level beyond anyone currently in the world, perhaps only matched by Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland. But even that might be a stretch.

Mendy should have been in the Ballon d’Or list

Forget Jorginho for what Chelsea player deserves to win the Ballon d’Or, on current form, there should be an argument for another Chelsea player to be the overall winner.

Edouard Mendy helped to transform a Chelsea defence that had leaked a lot of goals under previous number 1 Kepa Arrizabalaga, and now boasts one of the best clean sheet records in the Premier League. Bettered only by the five held by Manchester City’s Ederson.

Mendy was the saviour for a below-par Chelsea performance. Admittedly they did heavily rotate so a less dominating performance may have been expected, but if it wasn’t for Senegal International’s goalkeeping heroics, The Blues would not have left with all three points.

He produced two incredibly important saves in the dying minutes of the game as Brentford pushed for an equaliser that would have been more than deserved. But that is what sometimes separates a good team from a great team, and a lesser keeper would have crumbled in the same situation.

The 29-year-old made the joint most saves in a game he has made in the Premier League, with two very fine stops near the end. Mendy is without a doubt a top-class goalkeeper, probably number one in England in terms of pure shot-stopping ability, so it beggars belief how he was not included in the Ballon d’Or shortlist ahead of some far less deserving players.

20 – Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy kept his 20th Premier League clean sheet in this game (38th start) – only Petr Cech (26), Pepe Reina (32), Alisson (36) and Roy Carroll (37) have needed fewer starts to reach 20 shut outs in the competition’s history. Saviour. pic.twitter.com/KT14xlFoAG

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 16, 2021

Patience is rapidly running out for Solskjaer

A lot has been said about the current form of Manchester United and about the future of current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Regardless, performances have been well below par this season for The Red Devils, and performances are now catching up to them.

While individual errors, chiefly from club captain Harry Maguire who had one of the worst games of his entire professional career, didn’t help in any way, the overall performance of the team was not good enough.

The response to Leicester’s first-half equaliser was poor, and it enabled Leicester to go into half-time on top, after a decent opening half an hour from United. United did respond well to going behind when Marcus Rashford marked his return from injury with a goal, but to then concede just 15 seconds after is appalling for any team.

More Stories / Latest News

Exclusive: Arsenal transfer target could move for €25-30m, two other clubs have had bids rejected so far

Jul 23 2024, 14:26

Liverpool looking to steal 6ft 5in player from Aston Villa

Jul 23 2024, 14:02

Returning Arsenal star praises key figure who was “very supportive” during lengthy injury

Jul 23 2024, 14:00

United are at the start of an extremely difficult period of fixtures. Manager Solskjaer has not managed to find the right blend in his team yet this season, and while United have always been slow starters under him, the expectation and mood has never been so contrasting. The Norwegian has had pressure on him before, but he has also never had this much talent in his squad before.

If results do not improve rapidly in the coming weeks, he could find himself out of a job sooner than he expected. Patience within the fanbase is rapidly running out, as even those who do support him grow more and more frustrated at the state of affairs on the football pitch. Ultimately though it is about patience in the boardroom, and whether or not that will hold out for the rest of the season.

Leicester (2.84) 4-2 (1.01) Man Utd

— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) October 16, 2021

Don’t discount Leicester

While we’re on the subject, let’s talk about Leicester City.

Leicester have had a mixed start to the season, and even following yesterday’s victory only find themselves in 11th place, four points from the top four that they have been so desperate to climb into.

Having not won a Premier League game since a 2-1 win over Norwich at the end of August, you might have been unsure about whether The Foxes could pull a result out of the bag against a supposed title challenger. However, they did not disappoint and proceeded to cut through United to achieve a much-needed victory.

While they are without midfielder Wilfred Ndidi for the time being, the fact of the matter is they now possess a squad that should be strong enough to cope with his absence. Boubakary Soumare and Youri Tielemans did well in centre midfield

If Leicester can now use the United result and get some positive momentum going, they are still more than capable of breaking into the top four this year. Leicester are not to be discounted.

When @Cristiano finished his first spell at Manchester United, Leicester City were playing in the third tier. Mad what’s happened to the club since then. Still find it hard to believe.

— Gary Lineker ? (@GaryLineker) October 16, 2021

Ruben Neves is a clutch player

Wolverhampton Wanderers, like Leicester, have had a mixed start to their season.

In the stats community, Wolves have been likened to the Brighton of last year, creating an expected goals value that exceeds their actual output of goals, causing a great deal of frustration.

However, despite being victims of this on many occasions already this season, they were more than good enough in victory over Aston Villa turning around a two deficit from the 79th minute to win the game 3-2 thanks to a deflected free-kick from Ruben Neves.

That’s not to say this was anywhere near his best free-kick or goal for Wolves, as he has a large collection of screamers at the club, but once again the Portuguese, who is still only 24-years-old, came in clutch for his team near the end of a match.

AND NEVES HAS WON IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

— Tim Spiers (@TimSpiers) October 16, 2021

He is growing something of a reputation for doing that, and while Wolves have him they will always be threat from distance at any minute of any game.

There will no doubt be more interesting narratives to come out of Sunday’s and Monday’s Premier League fixtures, with an interesting clash between West Ham and Everton on the cards, as well as a London derby between former South London club Arsenal and a current one Crystal Palace, that will also see Patrick Viera face his former club.

The post Salah best in the world, Chelsea star’s harsh Ballon d’Or snub, Ole on thin ice – 5 things we learned from the Premier League on Saturday appeared first on CaughtOffside.