Leicester City may have agreed on personal terms with an attacker ahead of his potential move to the King Power, but that is not stopping Newcastle United as they are reportedly planning a transfer steal.
Leicester could not afford to spend much in the summer transfer window, which resulted in just two players joining Brendan Rodgers’ side. Goalkeeper Alex Smithies signed on a free transfer following his release from Cardiff City. He joined as a backup to Danny Ward, who became the first-choice keeper when Kasper Schmeichel left.
The Foxes sold Wesley Fofana to Chelsea in a huge £ 75 million deal in the summer of 2022. This meant they needed a replacement center-back, even if they could not spend too much of that fee.
Wout Faes eventually arrived at Leicester from French outfit Stade Reims. As per Sky Sports, the Belgian cost £15m when signing for Leicester on a five-year contract.
Once again, Leicester fans are having to deal with a quiet transfer window. They have yet to announce any big signings or departures.
Leicester appears to be close to capturing 24-year-old winger Nicolas Gonzalez from Fiorentina. They have apparently agreed on personal terms with him already.
Leicester is in disagreement with Fiorentina over the fee, however. Their first bid came in at €35m (around £30m), which fell short of Fiorentina’s asking price. La Viola want €40m (£35.5m).
The two sides are not far off in their respective valuations. But clearly, some more negotiating needs to be done before Gonzalez officially moves to the East Midlands.
Newcastle wants the top Leicester target
Unfortunately for Leicester, they are no longer the only club trying to snare Gonzalez from Fiorentina. According to Italian source Tuttomercatoweb, Newcastle like the look of the Argentine too.
They are planning to steal the transfer from under Leicester’s nose. And Eddie Howe’s team has more than enough financial power to immediately meet Fiorentina’s £35.5m demands.
In an interesting twist, Newcastle has begun talks over Gonzalez’s potential capture. They have apparently held a video call with his agent to discuss how the signing can reach completion.
The report does cast some doubt over whether Gonzalez will be moving this winter, though. It talks up Fiorentina’s prospects of keeping him by revealing how stern they are being in transfer negotiations.
In some good news for Leicester and Newcastle, Tuttomercatoweb admits Gonzalez will be on the move in the summer, should he remain in Serie A for the rest of the current season.
The 21-cap international has done enough to show that he can shine at a higher level, potentially in Europe with Newcastle. The Magpies have a much better chance at qualifying for the Champions League or Europa League than Leicester, with Rodgers’ men seemingly getting sucked into a relegation battle.
It seems Gonzalez will be leaving Fiorentina in the near future, it is just a case of when rather than if.
It is intriguing that Leicester and Newcastle are the two clubs who want him. They both have good left-wingers in their ranks already.
Leicester can count on Harvey Barnes, who is always energetic. Newcastle, on the other hand, has Allan Saint-Maximin, who is equally energetic and difficult for defenders to deal with.
However, both teams’ officials must believe they could benefit from more attacking options. And Gonzalez is a player with the ability to make an immediate impact in the Premier League.
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