Leicester City have earmarked former Liverpool target Manuel Akanji as their replacement for Chelsea-bound Wesley Fofana – with reports stating that a fee of around £20m would be enough to bring him to the east Midlands from Borussia Dortmund.
Fofana looks set to join Chelsea in a deal that could reach £80m according to reports across the country, with Leicester holding out for a similar fee to the one that saw Harry Maguire move to Manchester United back in 2019.
The Frenchman will be sorely missed by Brendan Rodgers, although the money should see them significantly reinvest in the playing squad ahead of the new season.
In a bid to replace him, the Foxes boss has drawn up a potential shortlist of targets to line up alongside Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans at the heart of defence.
And the Telegraph say that Akanji is their prime target with the Swiss international having displayed his talents at Dortmund for half a decade – with the defender reportedly tempting Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp for a move back in 2017.
The publication states that their sources believe Akanji is in line for a move to the King Power Stadium should Fofana depart.
Identified as a ‘high-quality’ replacement, he could be available for a quarter of the price that Fofana is set to depart for – giving them funds to improve other areas in the playing squad.
A loan deal cannot be ruled out with Dortmund perhaps unwilling to permanently part ways with the former Basel star – that remains to be seen, however.
With Evans, Soyuncu, Jannik Vestergaard and, to an extent, James Justin to contend with, Akanji’s experience and similar profile to Fofana should see him walk into the team.
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