Leicester are on the verge of signing Kelechi Iheanacho from Manchester City in a £25m deal but should Everton have put up more of a fight?
Kelechi Iheanacho is set to have a medical at Leicester City, reports the Leicester Mercury, as the £25m deal to sign the Manchester City striker continues to be drawn out.
Despite it being a month since the fee for the 20-year-old was agreed, legal wranglings about image rights has seen things become frustratingly delayed from the Foxes’ point-of-view.
Kelechi Iheanacho of Manchester City celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match against Hull City.
So it is not as if other interested parties have not been given the time to make a move themselves, with Everton being linked with Iheanacho by the Sun back in May as a possible replacement for Romelu Lukaku.
As expected, Lukaku has since left Goodison Park for Manchester United and yet despite many names being banded around, the Toffees have not signed anyone to fill the void as yet.
Manager Ronald Koeman and the Merseyside club have a good reputation when it comes to playing and developing youngsters, so on the face of it Iheanacho would have been the perfect fit having already shown glimpses of his talent during limited opportunities with City.
Despite starting just 22 matches in two years in the first team at the Etihad Stadium, Iheanacho has scored 21 goals in 64 appearances in all competitions and also has six strikes in ten caps for Nigeria. The fact that the Telegraph reports that the Citizens have insisted on a £50m buy-back clause shows how much they rate the youngster.
Given some consistent game time Iheanacho could flourish into one of the best forwards in the Premier League and like with Lukaku, Everton could have had another potentially world-class talent on their hands.
As it is, Leicester look to have won the race and Koeman and the Toffees supporters will be left wondering, what if?
Kelechi Iheanacho of Manchester City celebrates scoring his sides first goal during the UEFA Champions League Group C match against Celtic FC.
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