Steve Cooper knows time is running out to get his Leicester City side ready for their return to the Premier League with two weeks until the first game of the season against Tottenham Hotspur.
After a decent start to pre-season saw Steve Cooper win his first two games as Leicester City manager, the Foxes have now lost their last two with just one game left to put things right before the Premier League season commences.
That task has been made more difficult by the news that Jamie Vardy is expected to miss the start of the season through injury, with the 37-year-old still a key member of the Leicester squad.
Having lost star man Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall early in the summer, Leicester have since made four signings as Michael Golding, Caleb Okoli, Abdul Fatawu and Bobby De Cordova-Reid have all made permanent moves to the King Power.
However, more additions are undoubtedly needed to get Leicester ready to compete in the top flight and that has seen the club target a move for a former Liverpool flop.
Leicester City in ‘ongoing discussions’ to sign former Liverpool loanee Arthur
There is a huge Dewsbury-Hall shaped hole right in the heart of the Leicester midfield after the 25-year-old’s £30 million departure to Chelsea.
That is yet to be filled, with 18-year-old Golding the only centre midfielder signed and the extent of his first-team role this season remaining to be seen.
The evidence from pre-season so far suggests Cooper is going to play a very different way to how Enzo Maresca did last season and that is reinforced by the fact Leicester are not looking to replace Dewsbury-Hall with a like-for-like option.
Instead, the Foxes have seemingly turned their attention to Juventus midfielder Arthur who played just 13 minutes in a season-long loan at Liverpool in 2022/23 before enjoying a much more positive spell on loan at Fiorentina last season.
That is according to Italian outlet Tutto Sport, who report that there are ‘ongoing discussions’ with both Leicester and Everton to ‘understand the feasibility of a possible return to the Premier League’.
Where would Arthur fit at Leicester City?
Given his CV includes Barcelona, Juventus and Liverpool, there is no doubting Arthur is a very talented player.
However, his career had been blighted by injuries before reviving his career at Fiorentina last season, playing 48 games in all competitions, scoring twice and assisting four times from his deep-lying midfield position.
Juventus are keen to get Arthur off their books this summer, which could pave the way for Leicester to make their move but how he fits into the side is uncertain.
A diminutive midfield anchor who likes to set the tempo of the game, Arthur is very similar in profile to Harry Winks and the ability of the two players to play together is up for debate.
Whilst depth is important in the Premier League, it could perhaps be argued that Cooper is better off targeting improvements in more pressing positions this summer.
That being said, if Arthur can continue his Fiorentina form he could be a really positive addition in the midfield.