Leicester set to swoop for another Turkish centre-back
By Nathan Wong
It’s no surprise that Leicester City are linked with centre-back options after the departure of club captain Wes Morgan. Such developments below, therefore, are extremely interesting for Foxes fans and would help kick-start the transfer mill.
Is Ozan Kabak a viable option for Leicester City?
Ozan Kabak is a 21-year-old, Turkish centre back who plays for the German side Schalke 04. Having spent the second half of the season on loan at Liverpool, the Turk has gained valuable Premier League experience.
Despite a shaky start, including a mishap against the Foxes, Kabak has otherwise looked reasonably solid in a makeshift Liverpool backline.
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Due to Liverpool’s signing of Ibrahima Konate, it now seems Kabak will be sent back to Schalke without his £18m buy-out being activated as per trusted journalist Fabrizio Romano. Subsequently, the Independent has reported Leicester City as being “among clubs interested” in the Turkish stopper.
There’s “no chance” for Ozan Kabak to stay at Liverpool - confirmed. He’s leaving the club and Schalke are looking to sell him in Premier League or Bundesliga. #LFC will trigger Ibrahima Konate’s release clause in the next hours and so Kabak will leave. 🔴 #Liverpool https://t.co/HMqDRtABsy
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 26, 2021
His parent club endured a torrid campaign, finishing bottom on just 16 points. This has exacerbated the Gelsenkirchen club’s well-documented financial woes, meaning they are desperate to raise funds.
Resultantly Kabak is unlikely to remain at the Veltins Arena next season. The Turk will likely cost around £18m, a very reasonable sum for a promising centre-half who has been tipped as the next big thing in the recent past.
Whilst this season he hasn’t been at his peak, the mitigating factors of Schalke’s chaos and Liverpool’s injuries can compensate for this. Yet the Foxes face competition for Kabak, with Newcastle also reportedly sniffing around.
For a fee of around £18m, there is a strong argument to purchase the rising Turk as a squad player. Certainly, such a transfer would be approved by Kabak’s Turkish teammate, our very own Çağlar Söyüncü.
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The fall-out from LCFC’s last-minute heartbreak to Spurs has implications on the club’s transfer policy. Targets such as Robin Gosens from Atalanta are likely to be discarded, with the German unlikely to join without the carrot of UCL football.
However, there is positive news with reported transfers of Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Bertrand nearing completion. Such options would make sense and help Leicester consolidate this season’s progress.
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There are also rumours of Leicester being linked to a Ukrainian right-winger Victor Tsygankov as per Twitter. He would undoubtedly be an exciting but potentially risky option to fill the right-winger berth, with him impressing for Dynamo Kyiv and the Ukrainian national team. Yet this is just a rumour and must be taken with a pinch of salt currently.