Leicester City are closing in on the signing of Reims’ Ligue 1 centre-back Wout Faes in a £15 million deal, according to The Sun (1st September, 9.48am), as the Premier League club look to replace Wesley Fofana.
Insert London bus quip here.
After waiting all summer for a big-money signing, two could arrive at once at the King Power Stadium. Leicester are in talks to sign Atalanta’s former Chelsea winger Jeremie Boga, while Wout Faes should be unveiled as a Foxes player imminently.
The poodle-haired central defender, The Sun say, has agreed terms with Leicester. Faes, who made his debut for the Belgian national team this year and could be included in Roberto Martinez’s World Cup squad, should set the 2016 Premier League champions back around £15 million.
Wesley Fofana out, Wout Faes in at Leicester City?
The former Anderlecht man will slot into the space vacated by new Chelsea signing Fofana. He’s strong in the air and impressive with the ball at his feet; as you would expect from a Brendan Rodgers signing. Faes is also a big threat in the opposition box. He scored four Ligue 1 goals in 2021/22 alone.
“I was hoping he would (stay),” Rodgers said after Fofana forced through his dream move to Stamford Bridge. “Because he’s a top class operator. And that’s what you want as a coach if you want to improve and develop.
“You hope he would be here. But football changes and it can change very quickly. You have to be able to adapt and accept that.”
Time will tell whether Faes can emulate Fofana’s immediate impact in the Midlands.
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