Leicester scouts busy ahead of the January transfer window

Leicester City’s scouts have been spotted in Italy and Portugal as the Premier League side looks to strengthen the side. Here is what you should know.

Brendan Rodgers will be concerned but not too downtrodden with Leicester’s first half of the 21/22 season. The Foxes have been crippled by defensive injuries and are still waiting for the return of Wesley Fofana and James Justin.

The King Power side are evidently preparing for the upcoming transfer windows, with rumblings of key players potentially leaving and now the threat of a Kasper Schmeichel prepared to leave the club before he retires.

There are two recent reports of Leicester’s scouts being sighted watching matches in Portugal. I will go through each.

Leicester City scout versatile midfielder

The East Midlands outfit has scouted the fixture between Benfica and Sporting Lisbon on December 4th. Though there are no exact links to any players from either Benfica or Sporting, there are several stars for both sides.

From Benfica’s Everton Soares and midfielder Julian Weigl to Sporting’s Matheus Nunes and Pedro Gonçalves. These players are those I have picked out as potential candidates for the watching eye of our scouts.

Nunes and Weigl are of particular note. Both offer something Leicester City could lose should they fail to achieve Europa League football through any of the routes still available. Youri Tielemans and Wilfred Ndidi are critical to the Foxes and might decide to leave in future windows.

It is unlikely any of these players are pictured to come in for the January window, as the King Power side would not be prepared to lose a major player mid-season. For the summer window, a player from one of these Portuguese teams might be on their way into Rodgers’ squad.

Scouting for a winger

As is the usual since the departure of Riyad Mahrez, Leicester are likely still scouting for a prolific winger. That being said, the Foxes have scouted a match between FC Porto and SC Braga. These two sides have players who could be replacements for outgoings.

Porto’s winger Luis Diaz shone during the tight-run affair, with the player scoring the only goal of the match. The Colombian has been on the scouting list for top tier sides since his remarkable performance in the Copa America.

The winger is almost exclusively a prolific left winger, so could be seen only as a rotational option with Harvey Barnes or a depth option. Diaz hardly plays on the right so is not a replacement to Mahrez or seen as an improvement upon Ademola Lookman.

The attacking midfielder Otávio Monteiro is also a good shout and possibly one of those being scouted to bring a creative spark to the Foxes side.

For Braga, their goalkeeper Matheus has previously stated that Leicester are an inspiration, and the shot-stopper is certainly known for the authority he portrays within the penalty box – something Rodgers will be looking for in any Schmeichel replacement.

From wingers, midfielders, to goalkeepers, the former Premier League champions are on the hunt for players to replace potential outgoings ahead of the next couple of windows, and might be looking for someone to change up the side ahead of January.