leicester city

Leicester City transfer latest: Danny Ward, Harry Souttar, Fabio Carvalho latest, Arsenal and Chelsea battle

Published

9 months ago

January 8, 2024

With speculation in the midst of the January transfer window now gathering momentum, almost every side across the EFL’s three divisions are bracing themselves for a hectic period.

Not only do managers have a plethora of rumours to contend with, but also the demanding schedule at the turn of the year that involves multiple league and domestic cup fixtures.

Leicester City may be flying high at the top of the Championship with a ten-point gap on second place Ipswich Town, but Enzo Maresca’s side are no exception to such circumstances. With that being said, FLW rounds up the latest transfer news at the King Power Stadium.

Championship Table (As it stands January 2nd)
	Team	P	GD	Pts
1	Leicester City	26	36	65
2	Ipswich Town	26	15	55
3	Southampton	26	15	52
4	Leeds United	26	20	48
5	West Brom	26	12	42
6	Sunderland	26	8	40
7	Hull City	26	4	39
8	Coventry City	26	10	37

Whilst Leicester have ridden the crest of a wave this season, one man who has played no part whatsoever is Wales international goalkeeper, Danny Ward.

Regardless, the 30-year-old who has kept 16 clean sheets in 47 overall appearances for the Foxes could be handed a significant break back to the Premier League, as its bottom side Sheffield United have been linked with a move for Ward’s services, as per Alan Nixon via Patreon.

The report claims that the Blades’ hierarchy have inquired regarding the possibility of a loan deal with an obligation to buy in the summer, as Chris Wilder looks to bolster the top-flight’s leakiest defence, conceding 49 times in 20 league outings.

Nixon further adds that if a deal cannot materialise between the two sides, then Cardiff City – who sit eight places and 28 points behind Leicester – may look to add the Welsh keeper to their ranks in place of current Arsenal loanee, Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson.

At the beginning of the window, Leicester’s first rumour was regarding Liverpool’s Fabio Carvalho, who spent the first half of the campaign with German big-hitters RB Leipzig, but has subsequently returned to Anfield after a below-par loan stint.

Given his previous pedigree in the second tier with Fulham two seasons ago, it’s unsurprising that the division’s front-runners this time round are all circling around a potential move for the Portuguese youth international, which include the Foxes alongside Hull City. Southampton, Leeds United and Premier League Wolves alongside his aforementioned former side, Fulham.

It was revealed on New Year’s Day by Sky Sports via the Leicester Mercury that Leicester had made contact with the Reds regarding a potential deal. However, since then, Maresca, like many others, was initially left to play the waiting game, as Jürgen Klopp weighs up the best potential option for the 21-year-old.

However, it has since come to light that the Tigers have moved ahead of Leicester in the race to land a loan move. Sky Sports’ Transfer Centre (09:30, 08/01) state that whilst Leicester remain admirers of Carvalho, a player must be moved on from their ranks beforehand.

Another prospect who has been linked with the club in recent days comes in the form of Ibrahim Salah, currently of Ligue 1 outfit Rennes.

So far this campaign, the 5-time Moroccan U23 international has featured in 15 outings for the French side’s senior team, which includes four goals in Ligue 1 and the UEFA Europa League – two of which came on the opening day against Metz.

However, L’Équipe report that the 22-year-old could depart Roahzon Park on a temporary basis at least, with Leicester one of six clubs mooted with potential interest alongside Feyenoord and Olympiacos, with FootMercato also claiming that fellow French top flight sides in Toulouse and Lorient are also keen on a potential deal.

One man who could leave the East Midlands is City’s Australian defender, Harry Souttar, according to the Athletic via the Daily Record.

Despite joining from Stoke City for £15m just 12 months ago, Souttar hasn’t found himself as part of Maresca’s plans moving forward – only starting one league game so far this season, which ironically came in a 2-0 win over his former employers.

The report claims that the 25-year-old, who is part of his nation’s squad for the Asian Cup, has been given the go-ahead to leave the Foxes, but those commitments with the Socceroos could complicate any potential deal.

This comes after the defender was subject to interest from Rangers in the closing stages of the last transfer window, when current Sunderland boss Michael Beale was in charge at Ibrox, before a deal couldn’t come to fruition.

Meanwhile, a centre-back who has been linked as a potential incoming is 17-year-old David Odogu.

However, it has been said that Leicester are likely to face Premier League competition yet again to secure a deal, with both Arsenal and Chelsea heading the queue for the Wolfsburg prodigy, as per TeamTalk.

Whilst the respective London giants, alongside Brentford and Leicester have Odogu firmly on their radar, German Sky reporter Florian Plettenberg has revealed that the side who currently sit tenth in the Bundesliga have no intention of selling the defender who has featured for Germany’s U17’s side on 22 occasions, despite his own keenness to depart the Volkswagen Arena.