"A deal well worth doing" - Leicester City tracking Sunderland star: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sunderland player Trai Hume is a wanted man as the January transfer window looms, with a number of teams chasing his signature.

That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, who claim that one side keen on the Northern Irish international are Championship leaders Leicester City.

The Foxes sit top of the standings in the second tier at the present, but it appears they are eyeing further signings in January to strengthen their bid for promotion to the Premier League.

Enzo Maresca's side are not the only club interested in Hume, though, with fellow promotion chasers Leeds United also interested.

Premier League side Burnley are another side also said to be tracking the 21-year-old.

If Leicester City do want to sign Hume, they will likely have to pay Sunderland a very healthy fee in order to do so.

That is because Hume has only recently put pen to paper on a new contract with the Black Cats.

The 21-year-old is contracted at the Stadium of Light until the summer of 2027, with Sunderland also holding an option to extend that by a further year.

Would Trai Hume be a good signing for Leicester City?

The above report raises many questions, one of which is, would Trai Hume actually be a good signing for Leicester? And, would he fit Enzo Maresca's current plans?

To answer that, below, some of our FLW writers have offered their thoughts on the reports.

Leicester City are not resting on their laurels despite being top of the league, and identifying top Championship talent like Trai Hume will only help their promotion race if they begin to sign them.

It must be said, though, that if Hume were to make the move to the King Power Stadium in January, he could struggle for starts.

As good as the 21-year-old is, and as much as he is likely to keep improving, Leicester have fantastic options at full-back already, with James Justin and Ricardo Pereira on the right and left-hand side respectively.

It's unlikely Hume would displace either of these players, but, he could be a great back up option to both of them.

The question is, would that be good for the 21-year-old's career at this stage, given he is a regular starter for a good Sunderland side as it is? Arguably not.

If Leicester could pull this off, though, it would be a deal well worth doing.

Alfie Burns

This would be one of those deals with plenty of positives and negatives for both parties.

Looking at Leicester's squad, it is stacked with talent at Championship level and comfortably the best in the division. However, they are maybe short in the full-back positions when it comes to quality cover for Justin and Pereira, with Callum Doyle often shoehorned into a left-back role.

So, looking at January, a new full-back could be the order of the day for the Foxes. The fact that Hume is versatile in that he can play both sides is also a bonus, giving Maresca some flexible depth.

One sticking point for Leicester might be the potential fee they've got to pay, given the length of Hume's contract at Sunderland - yet you would probably argue that Leicester have some financial wriggle room given their high-profile summer exits.

The final thing to consider is Hume himself, who would probably be heading to the King Power Stadium with no guarantee of games in Maresca's side. He should back his talent and ability to push Justin and Pereira for minutes, but they won't be handed to him on a plate, such is the nature of a squad on track to return to the Premier League.