JUST IN: Leicester City On Another Expensive Deal, Club Revealed

Celtic attacking midfielder Matt O’Riley looks perfect for what might be Leicester City’s transfer priority, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s exit leaving them short of options

Pre-season training has only just begun but already Leicester City’s transfer business is free-flowing.Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been sold for £30m, easing the club’s concerns around Profit and Sustainability and giving them some cash to work with. Nevertheless, they’ve made a frugal start to their incoming business with the arrival of Bobby De Cordova-Reid on a free transfer and youngster Michael Golding from Chelsea for £5m.

And there’s a couple more signings on the horizon too, with Abdul Fatawu and Caleb Okoli close to joining. But what happens after that? Who could still leave and who could still come in? We’ve taken a closer look…

Who could leave City

When Enzo Maresca was in charge, it was easy to identify the players who were surplus to requirements. But while Danny Ward, Daniel Iversen, Harry Souttar, Victor Kristiansen, Luke Thomas and Boubakary Soumare looked set for an exit under the former manager, their futures are now uncertain as Steve Cooper may see qualities in them that could make his tactics work. How the new manager assesses City players in pre-season will have a big impact on their futures.

It is still expected that keepers Ward and Iversen will go with Mads Hermansen and Jakub Stolarczyk having established themselves as the club’s first-choice duo.

Souttar is an interesting case, as City are likely to have more defending to do now they’re in the Premier League, and his strengths at protecting the box may be more valuable than they were in the Championship. However, City do have a lot of centre-backs, especially with Okoli coming in from Atalanta.

For Kristiansen, it may be a case of where he sees his future. After helping Bologna qualify for the Champions League, he may not want to stick around at City. But, Cooper may quite like him as he seems ideal for the wing-back system the new manager is expected to deploy.

Soumare offers something City don’t have at the moment, bringing brawn and good ball-carrying qualities to the centre of the park. Cooper may feel he’s the manager who can finally get the Frenchman to perform on a consistent basis, but if Wilfred Ndidi re-signs, then that may push Soumare towards the exit.

With De Cordova-Reid signed, Fatawu coming back and Juventus wide-man Matias Soule targeted, City look to be stocking up on wingers. That may mean there’s a loan away for Wanya Marcal and maybe even Will Alves, unless he’s seen as a central attacking midfielder.

There is a sense among supporters that City need a new striker, and while it remains to be seen if Cooper and the recruitment team feel the same, if a new frontman arrived, it would likely signal the departure of one from the current group, especially as De Cordova-Reid can play up top too. Jamie Vardy’s going nowhere, so that leaves Patson Daka or Tom Cannon. The former would likely be sold, but the latter would probably be loaned out, hoping that he could then make an impact when Vardy likely leaves next summer.

If City feel they need to make more cash and stave off future PSR concerns, Hermansen, James Justin and Wout Faes are the stand-out players to sell. For each of the trio, City could probably make a decent profit. But given their qualities, Cooper is unlikely to want to see any of them go.

Who could sign for City

When it comes to improving the squad, the midfield looks to be the area requiring most attention. With Dewsbury-Hall sold, Dennis Praet released, Yunus Akgun not returning from his loan spell and Ndidi’s future up in the air, City currently have none of their attacking midfielders from last season.

Cooper is unlikely to play with exactly the same system, but even so, a forward-thinking option for the centre of the park feels necessary. Because even if Ndidi stays, it may be that he reverts to operating in a defensive role now that City are playing at a higher level.

It would help massively if Alves shows in pre-season that he’s capable of at least being a back-up in that area of the pitch, while Golding is another prospect in that area. But neither feel ready to be the main man in the position.

Replacing the 12 goals and 14 assists Dewsbury-Hall registered last season would be a big factor in any midfield signing, and that’s why Celtic’s Matt O’Riley looks like an excellent option. He netted 19 goals and set up 18 more across all competitions last season to be named player of the year under Brendan Rodgers.

A fee of more than £25m is said to be wanted by Celtic, which would push City to their limits. Southampton are also said to be keen, so even if City hit the figure Celtic wanted, they may find themselves missing out any way.

With Okoli coming in, and with the Italian able to play on the left side of a back three, that may end the need for any further defensive reinforcements. If Cooper sees Ricardo Pereira as a wing-back, and is happy with the quality Justin, Kristiansen and Thomas can provide, then City may be set there too.

If they push for Soule at Juventus, the club certainly won’t need any further signings out wide after that, and the Argentinian may help their situation up front too. He played just behind the striker towards the end of last season while on loan at Frosinone.

But if City wanted a marquee signing up front to really hammer home their bid for survival, the links to Tammy Abraham are most interesting. It seems Roma are happy to sell the England international, and he may be keen to show the Premier League his talents again after some time in Italy.

Would he be willing to join a club likely to be as low in the table as City? Maybe not. Could City afford him? Again, perhaps not. With how much Soule, O’Riley and Abraham would cost, City face three more expensive deals. It feels possible they might do one, maybe two, but all three would feel beyond their current means.