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Leicester City interested in FC Basel’s Mohamed Elyounoussi

By Harneet Singh Sethi

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 07: Danilo of Manchester City holds off pressure from Mohamed Elyounoussi of FC Basel during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Manchester City and FC Basel at Etihad Stadium on March 7, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 07: Danilo of Manchester City holds off pressure from Mohamed Elyounoussi of FC Basel during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Manchester City and FC Basel at Etihad Stadium on March 7, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
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Leicester City are targeting Mohamed Elyounoussi as a replacement for wantaway winger Riyad Mahrez – that’s according to his former assistant manager, Ian Burchall.

The Foxes are understood to have been long term admirers of the FC Basel winger, and it seems like the right time to revive that interest, with anything still possible with Riyad Mahrez – most probably a departure to a bigger club.

Although Mohamed Elyounoussi hasn’t been linked with Leicester in recent times, his former assistant manager at Sarpsborg, Ian Burchall, has revealed that City have always been after him.

Speaking of the 23-year old in an interview with the Nordic Football Podcast, he told:

"“When I was finishing my Uefa Pro Licence, I did a little study trip and spent five days in Leicester.“He was on their radar a while back. Publicly, as well. I think it was public knowledge that they were tracking him a little bit. They asked me about him and I said I really believed that he could play at that level.“I was not surprised when he scored against Man City. I sent him a message because I was really proud of him. I had him when he was 18, 19 breaking into the first-team. What a talent.“Forget his skills, his mentality – he is a tough kid mentally. He is ready to work and train and do extra. He is probably the best I have worked with at first-team level.”"

Judging purely by what a former coach has to say, Mohamed Elyounoussi could be quite a signing – and he’d be available for a relatively cheaper price, too, which is something that you don’t see these days when it comes to a top quality player.

The Norway international has scored seven goals and assisted 13 across all competitions this season, including a match-winning display against Manchester City in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie.

Next: Leicester City targeting Manchester United outcast Luke Shaw

The former Molde FK player doesn’t just produce the goods, but he does so consistently and across any attacking area on the pitch, too. This season alone, he has made 15 appearances as an attacking midfielder (five goals and nine assists), nine appearances on the left wing (two goals and two assists), seven appearances in the left-midfield (two assists) and one appearance as a centre-forward.

Now that alone shows that he may prove to be very handy.

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