Looking to round off their summer transfer window in style, Leicester City have reportedly opened talks with a Serie A attacker who was left out of his side's most recent matchday squad.
Leicester transfer news
It's been a mixed start to Leicester City's Premier League return, having stolen a point from Tottenham Hotspur on the opening day courtesy of Jamie Vardy, before suffering defeat on their travels against Fulham. Now, as they continue to adjust to life without Enzo Maresca and under Steve Cooper, the Foxes may land further reinforcements before the window slams shut this week.
In search of survival at the first time of asking, those at the King Power have been linked with moves for the likes of Bilal El Khannouss – even reportedly going as far as submitting a bid to sign the KRC Gent attacking midfielder. At 20 years old, there's no doubt that the Moroccan has plenty of potential, but when it comes to having an instant impact, the Foxes have reportedly turned towards a Serie A ace.
According to Gianluca Di Marzia, Leicester have opened talks with Jonathan Ikone over a potential late summer move away from Fiorentina, who left the winger out of their most recent matchday squad against Venezia amid the transfer speculation.
Now 26 years old, the 4-cap France international should be at the top of his game, even if he struggled to find his best form last season. Potentially starting afresh in the Premier League, Ikone would offer Cooper competition for Bobby De Cordova-Reid, who would find himself fighting for minutes just months after arriving at the King Power.
With Wolverhampton Wanderers reportedly leading the race for his signature, however, Leicester have plenty of work to do.
"Modern" Ikone can compete with De Cordova-Reid
In what would add crucial depth and instantly put two fresh faces in competition for a starting place, Ikone could arrive to complete Cooper's attack and insert the spark that it lacked against Fulham in his side's recent defeat. If he can get back to his best, the winger's arrival would go down as a stroke of genius from the Foxes, having racked up 157 Ligue 1 appearances to go with 79 in Serie A across spells at PSG, Lille and Fiorentina.
Goals
3
6
Assists
1
2
Key Passes
15
17
Take-ons Completed
21
8
Ikone's output was an area of concern last season, but given that he managed six goals and eight assists in the campaign prior, there's certainly a player in there who is capable of producing when it matters. What's more, the 26-year-old's take-on success is something that stands out when compared to De Cordova-Reid. A more direct option, alongside the equally skilful Abdul Fatawu, could complete Leicester's attack once and for all.
Described as a "modern player" by former Fiorentina director Daniele Prade, Ikone has just four days to put a spell to forget in Italy behind him and move on to the Premier League.
