Leicester City were relegated to the Championship last season. But looking at the table, the league has been way too easy for the Foxes. They are currently the league leaders with a 7-point gap over second placed Ipswich and look set to play in the Premier League next season.
They have looked quite solid under their new manager Enzo Maresca and have been actively looking to recruit this January transfer window.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
The Foxes are in pole position to secure immediate automatic promotion back to the Premier League. Amidst this success, interests have started to surface for their midfielder, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has contributed nine goals and nine assists this season, helping Leicester to a seven-point lead at the top of the Championship.
Premier League clubs like Brighton and Brentford have been keeping tabs on him for quite some time now. Brighton & Hove Albion are also said to be in negotiations with Leicester City to sign Kiernan. However, the deal is not looking to be addressed anytime soon.
Currently, the fee that Brighton and Brentford are prepared to pay for the 25-year-old is way short of what Leicester would want.
Even if they do match the offer, the Blues are also not entirely on board to sell the player. It is understood that it would take a bid in excess of £40m to bring Leicester to the negotiating table.
Leicester has little flexibility to add to their squad in January and must remain in line with Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR). So, it’s not like they are in dire need of the £20m.
Moreover, the player is also not desperate to relocate at this point in his career. It is understood that if the player decides to move, it will be for the top clubs in the Premier League.
Interestingly enough, speculations have recently arisen where Arteta is said to be on the lookout for the midfielder.
All the talks are just in the preliminary stage. However, the promise of European football from Arsenal is likely to sway the player’s decision should Leicester reluctantly accept an offer they deem acceptable.
Stefano Sensi
With on-loan midfielder Cesare Casadei recalled by Chelsea, Leicester City has decided to fill the void with Inter Milan midfielder Stefano Sensi.
Leicester and Inter Milan have been in talks regarding a possible transfer of Sensi for the past three weeks or so. It is actually the East Midlands side’s coach Enzo Maresca who has particularly pushed for the signing of the former Sassuolo midfielder.
Finally, it seems that the deal has been in place for both parties. The transfer would come for a total fee of around €3 million, with the inclusion of all add-ons. Additionally, there would also be a percentage of resale.
Certain parts of the deal would be contingent on Leicester being promoted to the Premier League. At the moment, though, that looks exceedingly likely considering the Foxes’ position in the table.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the deal is effectively done with all the verbal agreements in place. Inter midfielder Stefano Sensi is expected to have his medical with Leicester City on Monday before the contract could be penned down.
Dennis Praet to leave finally?
It has been quite some time now that Dennis Praet has been linked to a move out of the club.
Now, with Stefano Sensi practically coming in for Leicester and Arthur Vermeeren joining Atletico Madrid from Royal Antwerp, the puzzle fits perfectly for the midfielder to join the Belgian side.
Signed in 2019, Praet never fulfilled his true potential at Leicester, as he was never given a proper chance to shine due to facing heavy competition in the squad. Injury issues have also plagued his tenure at the club.
In total, Praet managed 93 appearances, scoring four goals and providing seven assists—relatively low numbers for a player of his talent. The Belgian international has made just five appearances in the Championship so far this season, with only one from the start
With him being out of contract in six months, it would be in the Foxes’ best interest to try and recoup a fee for Praet rather than losing him for free in the summer.
Amidst this, the opportunity to join the Belgian club couldn’t have come at a better time. Royal Antwerp will receive an experienced midfielder in his name, who will shine and bring good quality, hopefully pushing Royal Antwerp to higher places.
Dennis Praet also has a great stature in Belgium, having played for Anderlecht before and being a full international.
It is yet to be revealed what the structure of the deal will look like, but it is likely to be a loan. The deal will probably see the wages being divided between the two clubs.
Royal Antwerp will also have a chance to take the player on a free in the summer. The transfer deal is imminent. It remains to be seen how fast the negotiations go through.
Abu Kamara
It was reported that the Foxes were eyeing to land the 20-year-old Norwich City striker, Abu Kamara.
Kamara is currently on loan at Portsmouth and has impressed at Fratton Park, appearing in every game and helping them to the top of the League One table after their first 28 games.
The versatile striker has scored seven goals and provided four assists in 34 appearances for John Mousinho’s men across all competitions so far this season.
But Leicester will not be alone in the race, as the striker was equally under the radar of a fellow second-tier side, Stoke City.
With Kamara having a contract until the summer of 2025, the Canaries will be in no rush to sell this January. Although there is a one-year option in the Canaries’ favor, a number of clubs are monitoring his situation in the final days of the January transfer window.
However, given how highly rated the forward is among the Canaries, it remains to be seen if they can be convinced to sell at this stage.
While he could have been an asset for the future at King Power Stadium, it looks like Abu Kamara will not be leaving Fratton Park this transfer window after all.
According to a new report, the deadline for Kamara’s parent club Norwich City to recall the 20-year-old has now passed on January 15th. Therefore, he will remain in League One with Portsmouth until the end of the season, putting an end to any pursuit from interested sides.
Norwich City has been extremely happy with how the 20-year-old is faring under John Mousinho and never intimated canceling the season-long arrangement at its halfway point.
Leicester will surely miss out on a promising talent. It remains to be seen if the chapter reopens again in the summer for the next season.
Callum O’Hare
Leicester City, along with several other clubs, is monitoring the progress of Coventry City’s Callum O’Hare.
O’Hare, at 25, has been a standout performer for Mark Robins’ side. Despite a significant knee injury that sidelined him for the majority of the previous season and the beginning of the current one, Callum O’Hare has made a strong comeback, regaining full fitness in the past six weeks. The attacking midfielder has scored six goals and provided one assist in 16 appearances during the current campaign.
However, uncertainties loom over O’Hare’s future as his contract with the Sky Blues expires in the summer. Although he has been presented with new contractual terms, an agreement on a new deal is yet to be reached.
Given the uncertainty surrounding Callum O’Hare’s future, it’s not surprising that other clubs have been in the chase.
Besides Leicester, Southampton, have come up as a competent suitors for him. Meanwhile, it is thought that Premier League side Burnley have also submitted a bid in an attempt to secure the services of the 25-year-old.
However, by the looks of it, Coventry City will reject all offers for attacking midfielder Callum O’Hare in the January transfer window.
That is despite the fact that this is their last window of opportunity to cash in on him before he becomes a free agent. According to a report from Football Insider, the Sky Blues are ready to take that risk as they see their chances of winning promotion from the Championship as more valuable than cashing in on the 25-year-old.
Enzo Maresca will have to wait for another half a season to acquire the English footballer for free. Only if Coventry City doesn’t somehow convince him for a contract renewal.