Report: European giants linked with Leicester City star – but it’s not one you would expect

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Despite lifting the Premier League title last season, Shinji Okazaki remains criminally overrated by many. Not by Milan, however.

AC Milan are keen on signing Leicester City striker Shinji Okazaki in order to aid their return towards the top of the Italian game, The Guardian reports.

The Foxes remarkable Premier League triumph last season resulted in a number of their star performers being heavily linked with many of the traditional elite, with Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez both subjected to bids from Arsenal while tireless dynamo N’Golo Kante jumped ship for Chelsea.

However, one name who has remained largely absent from the gossip columns is Japanese slogger Okazaki who, despite netting a rather paltry five goals in 36 Premier League appearances, contributed so much more in both an attacking and defensive sense last season.

Harrying opponents across the park and dropping into midfield when necessary, the Duracell-powered frontman became a converted disciple of Claudio Ranieri’s hard-working, high-pressing approach that forced even the most technically skilled foes into uncharacteristic errors.

However, the arrivals of Nigerian speed machine Ahmed Musa and Algerian targetman Islam Slimani for a club-record fee means Okazaki is no longer an undisputed starter for the defending champions this season, although he offered a stark reminder of his effectiveness and rousing work ethic by scoring in Leicester’s 3-1 win against Crystal Palace last weekend, their most impressive performance of the season to date.

Consequently, Okazaki has been linked with a shock switch to seven-time European Champions Milan, who are slowly showing signs of revival after three seasons mired in mid-table with barely a sniff of European football.

New Milan boss Vincenzo Montella (below) has made it clear that togetherness and collective spirit will undermine their pursuit of an overdue return to the glory days and Okazaki, though hardly a natural fit for a club who counts the likes of Marco Van Basten and Andriy Shevchenko among its long list of legends, could prove an excellent example to the club’s promising young talents.