Leicester City interested in Burnley’s £20 million-rated Johann Berg Gudmundsson
Leicester City are interested in Burnley midfielder Johann Berg Gudmundsson, according to The Sun.
City are already preparing for Riyad Mahrez’s possible departure in the summer, and Gudmundsson is one of their top targets to replace the wantaway winger.
The Foxes would be willing to pay around £20 million for the Iceland international, which may well be a quarter of what they’d end up getting for Mahrez; however, a deal won’t be that easy as it may sound.
The 27-year old’s contract runs out in the summer of 2019, and Burnley being well aware of that, they are readying an improved contract for their midfielder. They might do it soon, too, considering that Newcastle United and Southampton are also eyeing him as one of their summer recruits.
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Should Riyad Mahrez leave the King Power Stadium, Gudmundsson will be a really good replacement for the Algerian. Although he isn’t as talented or skilled as the Leicester City winger, he can produce what’s needed in the right attacking setup.
Even in a defensive minded team like Burnley, he has managed two goals (against Liverpool and Manchester City) and six assists in 29 Premier League appearances, which is not too bad. The former Charlton Athletic player also has six goals and four assists in 63 appearances for Iceland, including a hat-trick in a 4-4 draw against Switzerland in 2013.
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Among the other players to have been touted as replacements for Riyad Mahrez are Borussia Monchengladbach’s Thorgan Hazard and Paris Saint-Germain’s Hatem Ben Arfa, who has previously played under Claude Puel.