The latest on Leicester’s attempts to sign Noni Madueke

As the days tick on, Leicester City have less than two weeks to sign further reinforcements before the transfer window shuts on August 31st. It’s no secret Brendan Rodgers wants to further reinforce, as the Foxes lack depth and quality in key positions.

One position Leicester City have really struggled to fill is the right-wing position. To put this into context, since Riyad Mahrez left in 2018, the last permanent right-winger signed was Rachid Ghezzal who has also left the club. To try and replace the mercurial Algerian, the Foxes have tried various options ranging from an out-of-position Ayoze Pérez to the dependable Marc Albrighton. Clearly, these players individually have their own merits, yet the lack of a specialist ‘inverted’ RW is a problem the Foxes dearly need to address if they have top-four aspirations.

Noni Madueke – click the link for source information – is one of the options that Leicester have been constantly linked with this summer, but as yet there has been little substance to the rumours. Such a transfer would be an excellent piece of business for Leicester as Madueke fits the profile of a young (19 years old), exciting talent with a high ceiling. Furthermore, he would bring pace, trickery and an eye for goal- all of which can be vastly improved as he continues his development.

There are several potential options that Leicester could utilise to purchase their man. Purchasing the player outright would be the ideal situation, yet Leicester’s finances are unlikely to stretch to the reported £30million price tag PSV have set for the Englishman. Therefore, if anything, a loan with an option/obligation to buy would probably be the most likely option on the cards.

Unfortunately for the Foxes, PSV manager Roger Schmidt seemed rather optimistic about Madueke staying in the Netherlands, at least for the near future. With PSV having already sold three of their star players, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them play hardball for further sales. Nevertheless, Noni may see Leicester City as his next step in his career with the allure of the Premier League and a return to his home country a tempting one indeed. Whilst PSV is also a good place for young players to develop, it can be argued that Leicester City is as good, if not better! Just ask some of the current Foxes players about the new training ground and the influence of Brendan Rodgers.

Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether Leicester and PSV can agree on a deal, but the outcome of PSV’s Champions League playoff against Benfica will likely influence proceedings. Failure to qualify for the UCL could increase the need for the Dutch side to cash in. For now, LCFC fans must play a waiting game and hope for progress on this deal.