Leicester City desperately need to bolster their forward line before the transfer window shuts at 11 pm on Friday 30 August and Jonathan Ikone may be the man they go for.
Steve Cooper has stressed the need for more quality in the final third as Leicester City aim to beat the drop and avoid returning to the Championship.
Several names including Santiago Gimenez and Bilal El Khannouss have been linked already this summer as Leicester look to add to the seven signings they’ve already made, and now a familiar name has once again come up.
Jonathan Ikone was first linked with a move to the King Power Stadium back in 2018 while at Lille and once again, the Frenchman is on their radar.
So let’s look at Ikone, his career, personal life, and what he could offer to the Foxes should he join.
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Latest Jonathan Ikone transfer news
Ikone is a wanted man it seems and Leicester may face competition from a fellow Premier League rival in Wolves.
The Frenchman was also recently left out of Fiorentina’s matchday squad for their Serie A fixture against Venezia and reports in Italy have claimed that both Midlands clubs are in the running for his signature.
It’s not the first time Ikone has been linked with a move to Leicester either.
During his breakthrough at Lille, the Foxes were interested but were put off by his £40m asking price.
Since moving to Florence two-and-a-half years ago, the 26-year-old has scored 12 goals and registered 13 assists – with five of those goals and three of the assists coming from the 43 games he played last season.
Jonathan Ikone personal profile: age, height, nationality, shirt number
- Full name: Nanitamo Jonathan Ikone
- Age: 26 (2 May, 1998)
- Height: Five feet, nine inches (1.75m)
- Place of birth: Bondy, France
- Nationality: French
- Current club: Fiorentina
- Position: Winger/striker
- Shirt number: 11
Jonathan Ikone stats: Previous clubs and international record
Club career
Ikone is one of the many talented French talents to come through the academy at Paris Saint-Germain.
He made his senior professional debut against Ludogarets in the Champions League on 28 September 2016, replacing Angel Di Maria. Three days later the same would happen but in Ligue 1 as PSG beat Bordeaux 2-0.
In that same season, Ikone was loaned to Montpellier in January 2017 and spent the remainder of the campaign at the Ligue 1 side before staying until the end of the 2017-2018 season.
On July 1, 2018, Ikone joined Lille on a five-year contract. While in the north of France, Ikone helped Italy topple his former club PSG to win Ligue 1 in the 2020-2021 season.
Following four years at Lille, Ikone then decided to leave his native France and move to Italy to join Fiorentina, where has been ever since.
International career
Meanwhile, at international level, Ikone has been capped four times by the French national team. He scored his only goal for France on his debut against Albania on 7 September 2019.
Stats
- Paris Saint-Germain – Seven appearances, zero goals, zero assists
- Montpellier (loan) – 37 appearances, three goals, two assists
- Lille – 150 appearances, 16 goals, 27 assists
- Fiorentina – 117 appearances, 12 goals, 14 assists
- France – Four appearances, one goal, zero assists
Jonathan Ikone market value and salary
According to Transfermarkt, Ikone is valued at £8.4m however Fiorentina will almost certainly demand more than that to agree to a sale.
Capology meanwhile claims that the 26-year-old earns a weekly wage of £35,398-a-week, equating to £1.84m across the 2024-2025 season.
Jonathan Ikone style of play
Traditionally found on the right-hand side of the pitch, Ikone will often try to cut in on his stronger left foot.
His best asset is his close-control dribbling. Always willing to take a player on, Ikone can get fans off of their seats and could play a central figure in Leicester’s counter-attacking style of play we’re expected to see this season.
Although he isn’t prolific in front of goal, Ikone regularly contributes with goals and assists throughout the season which could well add some vital points on the board for the Foxes.
Jonathan Ikone family: parents, siblings, and girlfriend
There is little information available online about Ikone’s family.
He has no pictures posted anywhere on social media featuring himself with family, siblings, or a girlfriend/wife.
Jonathan Ikone Instagram and X/Twitter accounts
You can follow Jonathan Ikone on Instagram at the handle @j.ikone.
Ikone doesn’t appear to have an active X account.