Leicester set to beat three Premier League rivals to exciting Brazilian winger, confirms Romano
Leicester City are reportedly ‘close’ to finalising a deal for Lyon winger Tete amid interest from three other Premier League clubs, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Brendan Rodgers has been on the hunt for attacking recruits as he aims to stave off the threat of relegation after the Foxes have endured a poor start to the season.
If the Brazilian can hit the ground running in the Premier League, he arguably possesses the quality to turn Leicester’s season around.
According to the Sun, Leicester have fought off interest from West Ham, Leeds United and Brentford to win the race for Tete, barring any last-minute twists.
The 22-year-old has been on loan at the Ligue 1 side from Shakhtar Donetsk since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with FIFA allowing foreign players to suspend their deals with clubs in the country.
FIFA’s ruling has reportedly complicated the move as it expires at the end of the season, meaning Brendan Rodgers will only be able to sign Tete until the summer initially but is expected to make it permanent if his spell goes well.
A compensation agreement has also had to be reached with Lyon over the termination of his loan, but the report does not state the fee.
Romano confirms Leicester’s negotiations for Tete move almost complete
Reliable transfer journalist Romano has confirmed that Leicester’s deal for Tete is nearing completion.
In a Tweet on Friday, he wrote: “Leicester are closing in on a deal to sign Tete from OL, confirmed — now final details being sorted on deal valid until the end of the season.
“Lyon have let Tete, Faivre and Toko Ekambi leave while they will bring in Wilson Isidor from Lokomotiv [done deal].”
Brendan Rodgers has been looking to sign attacking reinforcements for a while, initially targeting Leeds winger Jack Harrison.
However, it seems they have now signed a potentially better option in Tete, who has been in excellent form for Lyon since joining the French club on loan in March last year.
Overall, the attacker has featured 30 times for Lyon, scoring eight goals and making 10 assists, giving him an impressive average of 0.6 goal contributions per game.
Tete is also versatile, with the ability to play on either wing, as a second striker or as an attacking midfielder, so he will provide cover in several areas for Rodgers if the deal is completed as expected.
He has also featured twice for Brazil’s under-23 team, so there is no doubting his quality and potential.
Meanwhile, Leicester may still do more business this month as Rodgers is reportedly targeting a loan move for out-of-favour Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga, but there are other clubs also in for him.
Clearly, the manager is unconvinced by his current attackers, but signing Tete could potentially have a huge impact on the remainder of the Foxes’ season if he can find form quickly in England.
