Leicester City ‘hope to beat Europe’s elite to the signing of £30m-rated Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare this summer amid interest from the two Manchester clubs and AC Milan’
- Leicester City want to beat Europe’s elite to Boubakary Soumare, say reports
- The Lille midfielder has been a regular for his side who currently lead Ligue 1
- The two Manchester clubs and AC Milan have reportedly scouted Soumare
- The 21-year-old is rated at around £30million and has one year left on his deal
Leicester City are looking to beat several top European clubs to the signing of Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare this summer, according to reports.
The 21-year-old midfielder has been an ever-present for the French side that currently leads the Ligue 1 table by three points ahead of Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain.
Soumare has also played in every Europa League game for Lille this season and is expected to play in Thursday’s last-32 second-leg against Ajax, which the French side trail 2-1.
Leicester are hoping to beat Europe’s elite to the signing of Boubakary Soumare, say reports
Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers (right) is hoping to bolster his Leicester midfield this summer
And according to The Guardian, the Foxes are hoping to get a cut-price deal for the Lille star as his contract at the Ligue 1 side ends in just over a year’s time.
Soumare is valued at around £30million but Brendan Rodgers will be looking to drive the price down given the player’s contractual situation.
The report also claims the two Manchester clubs – City and United – have scouted Soumare along with AC Milan but have not approached Lille over the midfielder’s availablity.
Leicester currently have Wilfried N’Didi and Youri Tielemans as first-choice options in deep midfield positions, with James Maddison tasked with playing further forward.
The two Manchester clubs have scouted the Lille midfielder (right) but not made an offer yet
Rodgers also has Nampalys Mendy, Hamza Choudhury and Daniel Amartey as back-up options and all three came off the bench for Leicester’s victory at Aston Villa on Sunday.
The result solidified the Midlands club’s place in the Premier League top-four and the Foxes now lead fifth-placed Chelsea by six points.
Rodgers’ Leicester are also nine points ahead of Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton in sixth and seventh place respectively, though the latter have a game in hand over everyone else in the top six.
Soumare joined Lille on a free transfer in 2017 after leaving the PSG academy, where he had come through the youth ranks.