Leicester City may face a battle to sign one of their top transfer targets this summer.
Steve Cooper has stressed the need to bring in new faces this summer despite Leicester City securing a well-deserved point against Tottenham Hotspur on the opening day of the season.
The Foxes have made six signings so far this season (Bobby De-Cordova Reid, Caleb Okoli, Michael Golding, Facundo Buonanotte, and Oliver Skipp) but are still looking for extra fire-power.
A striker has been the top target for Cooper, but it’s proving to be a much more complex task. Attempts to sign the likes of Wilfred Zaha and Adam Hzloek have seemingly been knocked back and a third could now also be in doubt.
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Another one of Leicester’s targets is Panathainkos striker Fotis Ioannidis.
As reported by The Telegraph last week, the Foxes submitted a bid believed to be in the region of £23m, however, the Greek side reportedly wants closer to £30m.
Ipswich Town were also rumoured to be interested but it seems Leicester may face bigger competition in the shape of Sporting CP.
According to Record, the 23-year-old is being touted as a possible option for the Portuguese outfit should they fail in their pursuit to sign Victor Roque from Barcelona.
Can Leicester afford to sign top transfer target?
A forward is high on Leicester’s list but there are concerns about whether or not they have the finances to get the deal done.
Their most recent expense was a reported £20m fee with add-ons for Skipp, as per Sky Sports, but with profit and sustainability rules overshadowing them and a points deduction looking imminent, money is tight.
Ioannidis is a highly sought-after forward after scoring 23 goals in all competitions and would be a much-needed addition to the Foxes.
Jamie Vardy, Patson Daka, and Tom Cannon are the only current options available and with Daka out for several months due to injury and Cannon not favoured by Cooper, Vardy is the only genuine striking option.
All of those factors will only make Leicester’s search for a striker as clubs will spot their need to sign someone, potentially encouraging sides to want more money than the Foxes would expect to pay.