Report: Islam Slimani desperately wants transfer, Benitez surely can’t resurrect summer bid

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Leicester City striker Islam Slimani is reportedly looking to leave the club.

According to The Mirror, Leicester City striker Islam Slimani is desperate to leave the club in search of first-team football, with a January move potentially on the cards.

Slimani, 29, was a goalscoring sensation in Portugal with Sporting Lisbon, notching 57 goals in 109 games, including 31 goals in his final season with the club, which sparked a move to Leicester.

Expected to be the perfect partner for Jamie Vardy in the Leicester attack, Slimani struggled to justify his huge transfer fee in his first season with the Foxes, scoring just eight times in 29 appearances – and this term has been even more of a disappointment.

The Algerian international has started just one Premier League game this season, and whilst he has four goals in three League Cup games, he has played just nine minutes of action since Claude Puel’s appointment as manager.

The Mirror report that Slimani is now desperate to leave Leicester in the January transfer window in order to play first-team football elsewhere, having been prevented from leaving in the summer.

It’s claimed that Leicester were open to a deal, but wanted to recoup most of the £30million they paid for him, meaning Watford – managed by his former Sporting boss Marco Silva – and Newcastle both backed away.

Newcastle could certainly do with a goalscorer like Slimani right now, and manager Rafael Benitez may still hold an interest in the target man, but Newcastle would definitely need a discount on that £30million valuation.

The Magpies haven’t broken their £16million transfer record since signing Michael Owen in 2005, and with Mike Ashley attempting to sell the club but a takeover no closer to being done, Benitez almost certainly won’t be able to break the transfer record this January.

Leicester are unlikely to do a half-price deal on Slimani, but the Magpies may be smart to ask about the prospect of a loan deal, which would put the striker in the shop window and potentially enable Leicester to demand a higher price come the summer.