Leicester City transfer battle with Chelsea looks bad news for player who wants return to XI: View | OneFootball

Highlights

The 2023/24 season certainly looks to have been an enjoyable one for those of a Leicester City persuasion so far.

Following their relegation from the Premier League to the Championship at the end of the previous campaign, the Foxes have made an excellent start to life back in the second-tier.

Under new manager Enzo Maresca, the club have claimed 46 points from 19 league games so far, putting them top of the Championship table, eight points clear of the play-offs places.

As a result, those around the club will no doubt have their sights set on an immediate return to the top-flight of English football, in the coming months.

However, one man who things have not worked out for at Leicester so far this season, is Harry Souttar.

What has happened to Souttar at Leicester this season?

Souttar joined Leicester back in this year's January transfer window, signing from Stoke City on a contract until the end of the 2027/28 season, for a fee reported to be worth an initial £15million.

The centre back then made 12 appearances in the Premier League for the club in the second half of last season, but was unable to prevent that relegation to the Championship.

Under the management of Maresca this season however, Souttar has found opportunities much harder to come by at The King Power Stadium.

Since the start of this season, the 25-year-old has made just one Championship appearance for the club, that coming in a 2-0 win over his old club Stoke back in early October.

Despite that, Souttar has played down any suggestion of looking for a move elsewhere in January, in the hope of securing more regular senior football.

Speaking while on duty with Australia during the recent international break, the defender revealed that he has made it clear to Maresca that he is keen to stay at Leicester, and fight to regain his place in the starting XI.

Now though, it seems there is an argument that the latest transfer claims to emerge surrounding Leicester City in the lead up to January, do not bode well for Souttar and his hopes of forcing his way back into the Foxes side.

What could the latest Leicester transfer rumours mean for Souttar?

According to reports from Brazilian outlet UOL, Leicester are preparing to make a bid for Sao Paulo centre back Lucas Beraldo, who is also attracting attention from Chelsea, Wolves and Brentford.

It is claimed the Foxes are ready to offer a fee in the region of €20million for the services of the 20-year-old, all of which feels like bad news for Souttar himself.

The fact that Leicester are willing to pay such a sizeable fee for Beraldo, while he is attracting so much interest from other big clubs, does seem to indicate the potential and ability that he is showing.

As a result, you feel that if the Foxes are to be successful in bringing the Brazilian to The King Power Stadium in the near future, he would be a regular presence in their backline, not least to ensure they get a return on their investment in him.

That in turn, would therefore likely push Souttar even further down the central defensive pecking order in Maresca's side.

Indeed, with Beraldo still only 20-years-old, he obviously has the vast majority of his career ahead of him, meaning this could be a long-term challenge for Souttar as he looks to force his way back into Maresca's side.

Beyond that, it could be argued that even if Leicester are not successful in the battle to secure the services of Beraldo, the fact they are looking at a centre back, suggests that is a position they are keen to strengthen in January, even if it is not with the 20-year-old.

That in turn, could mean that despite Souttar's determination to earn back his place in the Leicester starting lineup, Maresca and others at the club are still unconvinced he is the right option for them to turn to in that particular position.

As a result, whether Beraldo signs or not, it seems the Australian international's chances of regaining his place in Maresca's side are not the most positive at this moment in time.

So with all that in mind, it will certainly be interesting to see whether these latest transfer rumours, prompt something of a re-think from Souttar, when it comes to his Leicester City future.