It seems increasingly likely Praet will permanently leave Leicester
By Will Kennedy
As the summer transfer window edges closer, details of Leicester City’s squad refresh are starting to become clearer. As Leicester need to sell in order to spend, fans are expecting several high-profile transfers in and out of the club. Youri Tielemans is all but confirmed to be leaving, and now reports are circling over the future of another Belgian international in the East Midlands: Dennis Praet.
Signed from Serie A side Sampdoria in 2019 for £17.2m, Praet was undoubtedly a quality squad player for the Foxes. Some onlookers believe the East Midlands club could or even should have held onto the former Atalanta man; others actually suggest that the Belgian was treated unfairly on account of minimum opportunities on Filbert Way.
Someone whose stats don’t tell the whole story, he has played 60 times in Leicester blue, scoring 3 and assisting 5. A reliable base in midfield, Praet’s passing and vision are his greatest assets – something displayed in his stunning pre-assist against Brentford in the FA Cup.
The issue for Praet is that he isn’t Youri Tielemans and has therefore found it hard to displace the No.8. Injuries to Maddison and Ndidi allowed him into the starting XI during the early parts of the 2020/21 season.