Exclusive: Leicester City demanded to retain Charlton Athletic hero Abdul Fatawu after Kasey McAteer sale | OneFootball

Don Goodman has backed Leicester City to retain Abdul Fatawu this summer, amid interest from Sunderland.

Don Goodman believes that Leicester CIty retaining Abdul Fatawu this summer would be a "massive boost" amid interest from Premier League new boys Sunderland.

The Black Cats have been pursuing a deal for the Leicester winger throughout the summer, and submitted a bid in the region of £28m to try and sign him, which was subsequently rejected.

Fatawu was a key player when the Foxes won the Championship in 2024, and after a disrupted Premier League campaign due to an ACL injury, there is hope that he can return to the squad and prove to be an integral player in another successful campaign.

However, Sunderland's interest and bid for the Ghanian have raised questions about whether Leicester should look to cash in on him, or retain him to help their potential promotion bid.

The former Premier League champions have been struggling with various PSR issues in recent years, and sanctioning a sale could help out with these problems.

Don Goodman believes retaining Abdul Fatawu would be a "massive boost" for Leicester City

In the wake of Sunderland's bid being knocked back by the Foxes, Football League World spoke exclusively to Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman, to get his take on whether Leicester should retain Fatawu.

Goodman told FLW: "There's no doubt in my mind that a Leicester City squad with Abdul Fatawu in it is a stronger one, and gives them a better opportunity of bouncing back to the Premier League at the first attempt than were he not at the football club.

"I guess the dilemma for Leicester City is a financial one, and the kind of money that they could get for him would certainly help in their profit and sustainability situation.

"They've got several other wide players of a very high level for the Championship, so it may be that they feel that they can cope without him.

"But certainly from a footballing perspective, it would be a massive boost for Marti Cifuentes if Abdul Fatawu stayed," he concluded.

Kasey McAteer sale could boost Leicester chances of retaining Fatawu

After FLW initially spoke to Goodman, it was revealed that Ipswich Town had agreed a £12m deal with Leicester for winger Kasey McAteer, which has since been confirmed.

Goodman also talked about what effect this deal could have on City's chances of retaining the Ghanian, saying: "I've just noticed that Ipswich have had a bid accepted by Leicester for Kasey McAteer.

"If that deal goes through [which it now has], it's likely Leicester will be able to retain Fatawu, so it's a win-win for all players and both clubs."

Now that McAteer has moved on and the imminent sale of Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze to Arsenal has seen the Eagles register interest in Bilai El Khannouss, it seems the Foxes have a better chance of retaining the 23-year-old.

Having lost one winger already who is a key part of their squad, and the potential departure of El Khannouss, it seems highly unlikely that Cifuentes would be happy to let another key player in Fatawu leave.

Especially after it was his superb second-half strike that earned the Foxes all three points away at Charlton Athletic on Saturday afternoon.