Leicester City are ‘getting closer’ to securing a deal for talented Sao Paulo centre-back Lucas Beraldo.
As relayed by Sport Witness, Leicester are in a battle with Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg to sign the player, but Beraldo would rather sign for the English club.
It is claimed that the 20-year-old has already spoken with Foxes officials where he outlined his intentions of playing Premier League football.
Although a deal is in advanced talks, some of Europe’s biggest powerhouses, including Arsenal, Juventus and Liverpool have all shown their interest in Beraldo.
That said, Leicester have taken a march in their pursuit of the talented Brazilian having already said they’d outbid the €18m (£15.4m) brought to the table by Zenit.
If the Foxes were to secure a deal by the end of the year, as the report states, Beraldo would become the most expensive player in the Championship history, breaking the £15.8m Wolves paid for Ruben Neves in 2017.
Why is Lucas Beraldo worth that much money?
Despite his age, Beraldo has already established himself as one of the top performers in the Brasileiro Série A.
In the 2023 campaign which drew to a close at the start of December, the Brazilian showcased his ability as a ball-playing defender, equipping him perfectly for Enzo Maresca’s demands.
He ranked third in the Sao Paulo squad for accurate long balls per game (4.1), second for accurate passes per game (89%) and third for clearances per game (3.5), as per Sofascore.
Beraldo is outrageously comfortable at stepping out from the back and playing quick, vertical passes that release his teammates into space.
Indeed, he rarely seems flustered in possession, even when put under intense pressure, and the mere fact he’s left-footed makes the links to Leicester easy to understand.
Despite boasting the best defence in the Championship with only 16 goals conceded, Maresca’s current first-choice centre-backs, Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes are both right-footed.
Beraldo, who possesses a cultured left foot, would provide a level of balance to the Leicester defence by making it easier to build from the back.
Aside from being so comfortable on the ball, he’s also demonstrated unusual levels of maturity and physicality for one so young, which have enabled him to handle going up against imposing centre-forwards all season long.
This should mean he can make a seamless transition into the physically demanding Championship schedule and show why journalist Antonio Mango was right to label him as “magnificent”.