Leicester City have scheduled a meeting with Monaco in order to open talks over an £18 million deal for Fode Ballo-Toure, according to FootMercato.
The Foxes might have lost Ben Chilwell to Premier League rivals Chelsea on Wednesday, but it would be wrong to suggest that Brendan Rodgers’ side have been left stunned by the sudden departure of the England international.
The Sun (26 August, page 50) reports that Fulham’s Joe Bryan and Atalanta’s Robin Gosens have been lined up as replacements.
Now, we can add a third name to that list as Leicester look to ensure that, when the Premier League season begins in a fortnight, they have a new face at left-back.
FootMercato reports that Leicester have a meeting planned as they go hell for leather for a 23-year-old Frenchman who has impressed at Monaco since joining from Lille in 2019.
A former Paris Saint-Germain youngster, Ballo-Toure is renowned for his athletic, attack-minded style (just like Chilwell). And, at £18 million, he would cost a fraction of the fee Chelsea paid to sign Gareth Southgate’s first-choice left-sided defender.
If there is one area where Ballo-Toure needs to improve, however, it is in the final third.
He failed to produce a single assist in 25 games across 2019/20, although a tally of five from the season before suggests that the problem is not ability but consistency.
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