It has been claimed that Leicester City Football Club wanted to offload further players over the summer. In addition to that, suggestions are that the Foxes hierarchy, along with team manager Marti Cifuentes, desired extra signings on Filbert Way. However, one assertion even says that the King Power club were rather desperate to get one particular deal over the line. Although they didn't manage to sell enough personnel in order to fund a move for the target.
Millwall's Mihailo Ivanovic is the striker in question. Was his prospective or even hypothetical move to Leicestershire scuppered as City scrambled to accumulate more money? It is said that LCFC made up to £79 million from outgoings. Therefore making a signing of around £10m seems adequate and reasonable. What's the catch?
Additions
In the end, Cifuentes was blessed with four new recruits to bolster his Foxes squad. One was an ageing back-up goalkeeper; who we will reserve judgment on for now. The other trio came through on deadline day, of course.
LCFC picked up two midfielders within 24 hours. First of all, Jordan James arrived as a typically effective No.8. Whilst Aaron Ramsey joined as a fresh playmaker/winger.
Meanwhile striker Julian Carranza also signed for Leicester. This is obviously the role that Ivanovic would have assumed. Yet it is always good to have multiple options competing for one spot in the starting lineup.
Why Leicester City couldn’t sell enough to fund Mihailo Ivanovic transfer
Essentially City went for Carranza instead of Ivanovic. But one report suggests LCFC still wanted to additionally secure the Serbian. Unfortunately not being able to disregard another attacker could have been the reason.
"EFL Analysis’ chief transfer expert Graeme Bailey told us that the inflated squad size, and failure to sell Patson Daka meant that the club couldn’t afford the 20-year-old Serbian.
Leicester rejected a bid for Daka which was nowhere near their asking price of £10m – the same amount Millwall were demanding for Ivanovic."
Transfer expert Graeme Bailey, speaking to EFL Analysis, says the failure to sell Patson Daka sealed the Lion's fate. And Foxes fans will be distraught to hear this considering their general thoughts on Daka!