Three Premier League clubs – Leicester City, Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion – reportedly want Nice’s Ligue 1 star Arnaud Lusamba.
Leicester City are set to beat Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion to the signature of Nice midfielder Arnaud Lusamba this summer, according to the Mail, with the midfielder keen to play Champions League football with the Foxes.
A Ligue 1 outfit coached by the legendary Patrick Vieira look set to lose yet another of their key players when the season comes to an end.
23-year-old Lusamba will become a free agent in July and it looks increasingly likely that he will be heading across the Channel. Crystal Palace and Brighton are interested but, if the Mail is to be believed, Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester are at the front of the queue for two major reasons.
Lusamba is reported to be close friends with one member of the Foxes’ squad, £40 million play-maker Youri Tielemans. Furthermore, the former France U19 international is understood to be very excited by the prospect of hearing the Champions League anthem ring out at the King Power Stadium next season.
Despite a 1-0 defeat at bottom-of-the-table Norwich City on Friday, Leicester are still encamped in the top four with an eight point buffer between themselves and Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Lusamba is an intelligent, technically gifted midfielder with an eye for a defence splitting pass, like his old pal Tielemans, and appears to be a perfect fit for a Leicester side who tend to dominate possession these days and play some of the most eye-catching football in the English game.
Crystal Palace and Brighton are unlikely to accept defeat just yet, however. If Saturday’s meeting between two bitter rivals proved anything, it’s that a creative play-maker like Lusamba would be a welcome addition to both squads.
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