Transfer development shared as Ajax beat Leicester to 23-goal attacker | OneFootball

Leicester City were looking to sign Georges Mikautadze in the summer window, but their failure to sell a striker allowed Ajax to win the race for the attacker.

Who is Georges Mikautadze?

The 22-year-old forward was with Metz, and his performances in France had attracted plenty of attention, with Mikautadze scoring 23 goals to help the side to promotion last season. And, he started life in the top-flight with a bang, scoring two in three.

Therefore, a host of clubs had been credited with an interest in the Georgian international, including Wolves and Burnley at one point in the window.

A move to the Premier League didn’t materialise, but Mikautadze did get his transfer, as he ended up joining Dutch giants Ajax.

Leicester were very keen to sign Georges Mikautadze

Yet, it could have been very different for the player, as Sun journalist Alan Nixon has revealed that Leicester were working to bring Mikautadze to the King Power Stadium.

The update states that the Foxes were willing to pay £15m to bring the forward to the club, in what would have been a major coup for Enzo Maresca, who was looking to strengthen his squad all summer.

But, any deal for Mikautadze was dependent on outgoings, and it’s said that the failure to sell either Patson Daka or Kelechi Iheanacho meant the club wouldn’t finalise a move for Mikautadze.

Was this the right decision from Leicester?

It’s easy for the fans to say the club should have signed Mikautadze, because he does look like a top quality player, and at 22, he could have been the main man for Leicester in the years to come.

But, it wouldn’t have been sensible financially to spend £15m, and no doubt pay big wages, for a forward when you have Daka, Iheanacho and Jamie Vardy on the books.

Maresca is only playing with one natural striker, so to have four players of that calibre is unrealistic for a Championship side, especially as they deal with their new financial reality after dropping to the second tier.

So, it’s a shame for Leicester that they weren’t in a position to sign Mikautadze, but they just didn’t get the offers they would have wanted for Daka and Iheanacho.

After a hectic window, Maresca now knows the squad he will be working with until January, and he will surely be pleased with the work that the club have done in terms of their overall business.

As well as that, the addition of Tom Cannon means that they did get a new number nine in through the door, and he is a proven performer at this level after his fantastic spell with Preston last season.

When you add the youngster to Vardy and Iheanacho, Leicester should have enough firepower over the coming months.

The 1-0 defeat at home to Hull yesterday was a first setback under the new boss, but it can’t take away from the excellent start Maresca has made.