Leicester City should pip Rangers to AFC Bournemouth transfer swoop amid Wout Faes news | OneFootball

Chris Mepham has one year left on his current Bournemouth deal and could available on the cheap.

Bournemouth centre-back Chris Mepham has one year remaining on his current deal with Bournemouth, and could be available for cheap this summer, as Leicester City should be primed to pounce.

Following relegation from the Premier League, Leicester have lost an array of first-team players, including the likes of Jamie Vardy, Wilfried Ndidi, Conor Coady, Mads Hermansen, Kasey McAteer and most recently, James Justin.

You'd assume with parachute payments, and the money that they have generated from player sales and the wage bill decreasing, that they would have brought some players in, yet only 38-year-old backup goalkeeper Asmir Begovic is the club's only signing this summer so far amid ongoing financial uncertainty surrounding the club.

The Foxes have begun the season with two wins and a defeat in their opening three Championship games, defeating both Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic but losing out to Preston North End.

New boss Marti Cifuentes won't be too concerned with his side's start, though he may be concerned about their activity in the transfer market, especially considering the lack of options at centre-back.

Jannik Vestergaard and Caleb Okoli started as the defensive pairing against the Addicks, though with Wout Faes linked with a move to Besiktas and Harry Souttar still on the injury table until at least the new year, this leaves the inexperienced Ben Nelson as the club's only other defensive option.

Russell Martin's Rangers side have been linked with the signing of Mepham from Bournemouth, though Leicester should pounce quickly to secure the services of the Welsh international ahead of the Scottish side.

Mepham, 27, is in the final year of his deal with Bournemouth and doesn't appear to be in manager Andoni Iraola's plans for this season, having not appeared in either of the Cherries matchday squads against Liverpool or Wolves.

Bournemouth have undergone a mass exodus in defence this summer, with Dean Huijsen, Ilya Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez having all departed for Real Madrid, PSG and Liverpool respectively.

Despite this, there still appears to be no room for Mepham, who finds himself behind Marcos Senesi, James Hill and new signing Bafode Diakite in the pecking order.

This could allow Leicester City to swoop in for the Welshman, who will be able to afford his current £35,000 per week wages at Bournemouth and his reduced transfer value.

Chris Mepham has already achieved two promotions from the Championship

Mepham has ample Championship experience throughout his career, having played 127 times in the second tier for the likes of Brentford, Bournemouth and Sunderland.

The Welsh international most recently played his football in the North East for Sunderland last season, and was an almost ever-present figure in the Black Cats back line, making 38 regular season appearances, as well as starting in the play-off final win over Sheffield United.

Aside from achieving promotion with Sunderland last season, Mepham helped Bournemouth to achieve the same fate in the 2021/22 season, though he would mainly be a squad player that year, having to compete with the likes of Gary Cahill, Lloyd Kelly and Nat Phillips in that position.

The 49-time capped Welsh international would be an excellent addition to a Foxes side which is crying out for some fresh blood, not only bringing experience and know-how to the squad but quality and depth, too.

Leicester will have to compete with Rangers for his signature, who themselves have got off to a slow start to the season under new manager Martin, but should be confident in fending off any competition they may face with the ability to offer a much more generous wage packet.