According to Fabrizio Romano, Leicester City have had a bid accepted for Roma’s Cengiz Ünder and the forward ‘is coming’ to the Premier League.
Romano states that the Foxes will sign the Turkey international initially on loan for a €3 million (£2.7 million) fee, with a €24 million (£21.8 million) obligation to buy.
The journalist’s tweet is an update on his article in The Guardian, which stated that Leicester were hoping to conclude a deal for the forward.
According to Calciomercato, Ünder was also in Newcastle’s sights, but it now appears that the 23-year-old will be linking up with Brendan Rodgers rather than Steve Bruce.
The Balikesir-born attacker has made 88 appearances for Roma, scoring 17 goals and assisting a further 12.
If you were wondering what kind of player Newcastle appear to have missed out on, then Ünder’s former national team coach made a helpful comparison.
Mircea Lucescu – who now manages Dynamo Kyiv – told Fanatik (via Turkish Football): ‘Cengiz keeps developing every day. His future looks really bright. His playing style and quality remind me of Mohamed Salah.’
Funnily enough, it was Ünder who replaced the Liverpool star at Roma following his move to Anfield in 2017.
He moved from Istanbul Basaksehir for an initial sum of €13.4 million (£12.2 million).
Given his status as an exciting young footballer, the Magpies will be sad to see this reported target slip through their fingers.
However, with the likes of Ryan Fraser and Allan Saint-Maximin already on the flanks, perhaps Ünder wouldn’t have been afforded the game time he would have liked.
We can only wait and see how he fares in the Premier League, a notoriously difficult division to adapt to.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
