Leicester wanted Tottenham target as Fofana replacement, too expensive

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Leicester City were priced out of a deal for Dynamo Kiev’s Ukraine international and Tottenham Hotspur target Illya Zabarnyi before bringing Wout Faes to the Premier League on deadline day, Ukrainian reporter Viktor Vatsko says on his YouTube channel. 

And relax. 

After a summer of near-constant speculation, Zabarnyi will now remain a Dynamo player. At least, until January 2023. And this will come as a major relief to veteran head coach Mircea Lucescu, who has seen his 20-year-old lynchpin attract interest from a number of clubs across the continent. 

Zabarnyi, two-footed, versatile and an established part of the Ukraine national team, was one of Leicester’s top targets to fill the Wesley Fofana-shaped hole in Brendan Rodgers’ increasingly porous backline.

“Leicester wanted to compensate for the sale of Wesley Fofana to Chelsea,” explains Vatsko. “Through intermediaries, they enquired about the price for Illya Zabarny.

“The “Foxes” received a response from Dynamo. And (then) they bought the defender of Reims and the Belgium national team, Wout Faes, for £15 million.” 

The implication being, of course, that Dynamo’s asking price was far more than Leicester were willing to pay during a summer in which their purse-strings have been drawn tighter than Adama Traore’s sleeves. 

Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur like Ukraine ace Illya Zabarnyi

Tottenham are big fans of Zabarnyi. Dynamo Kiev president Igor Surkis, however, insists that there is no truth to reports suggesting that Spurs made a £25 million bid for Zabarnyi towards the end of the summer window. 

“There was no offer,” Surkis says, bullishly.

That does not change the fact that Zabarnyi is not going to remain in the Ukrainian capital for much longer. A big-money move to one of Europe’s major leagues feels like a matter of time. 

“I think he will not play for Dynamo for more than a year. He’ll go to a European giant,” predicts veteran coach Vyacheslav Hroznyi.  

“This defender is fast, well-balanced, technical, and plays well. He doesn’t break the rules much. If I were Pep Guardiola, I would take him to Manchester City. Why? Because they only have Ruben Dias, (as) a high-level central defender.”