Sao Paulo stance revealed as Leicester ready eight-figure offer to beat Chelsea and Wolves in transfer race | OneFootball

Highlights

Leicester City are aiming to beat Wolves and Brentford to the signing of Lucas Beraldo in the January transfer window.

According to Brazilian outlet UOL, the Foxes are preparing an offer worth €20 million (£17.1 million) for the defender.

However, the Championship side faces stiff competition in the race for the centre-back, who could make the move to English football in the new year.

Chelsea, Wolves, and Brentford are all also interested in the 20-year-old, who currently plies his trade for Sao Paulo.

It is understood that the Brazilian outfit won’t accept any discussions over the player’s future unless their asking price is met.

Leicester have shown an interest in strengthening their defensive options as they look to fight for automatic promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt.

It is now being reported by Terra that the second division side are preparing an offer to Sao Paulo, but that no agreement has yet been reached.

The Championship team is reportedly willing to meet the £17.1 million asking price for the defender, with a proposal expected in the coming weeks.

It is believed that this will put Leicester ahead of the Premier League trio also interested in the Brazilian.

Enzo Maresca has preferred a centre-back partnership of Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes in the league so far.

The pair have made 18 and 16 league appearances respectively from 19 games, with the likes of Conor Coady and Harry Souttar struggling for game time.

Callum Doyle was also another option utilised by Maresca at the start of the campaign, but an injury to the Manchester City loanee has seen him out of action since the end of September, his last appearance coming in a 1-0 win over Bristol City.

Where are Leicester City in the Championship table?

Leicester currently lead the way at the top of the second division table, with a total of 46 points from 19 games.

The gap to second place Ipswich Town is just one point, with third place Leeds United another seven behind.

Maresca’s side is unbeaten in their last three games, having lost consecutive fixtures prior to the November international break.

Leicester will be aiming to go straight back to the Premier League, having been relegated in the previous campaign.

Do Leicester City need to strengthen in January?

Leicester’s position inside the automatic promotion places isn’t in any particular jeopardy right now, but a poor run could let Leeds and Southampton back into the conversation.

Strengthening could help prevent any dips in form and boost their position inside the top two.

Vestergaard and Faes have performed well for Maresca’s side, but it is clear that he sees the future of his backline looking a little differently.

Souttar’s future at the King Power Stadium must now be in doubt, with the Australian really struggling for game time since Maresca was placed in charge in the summer, despite joining the club earlier this year.