Leicester confident of deal to sign towering World Cup star as West Ham, Wolves are beaten back

Harry Souttar, Julian Alvarez, Australia v Argentina in World Cup round 0f 16 clash in Qatar

Leicester are in talks with Stoke City over a deal for defender Harry Souttar and are optimistic of sealing his signing, TEAMtalk can reveal.

Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers has targeted the giant Australia’s World Cup star in a bid to shore up their defensive issues. And Stoke centre-back Souttar  – who stands at 6ft 6in – was one of the standout performers for Australia at the World Cup.

Indeed, he impressed for his country as they defied expectations in reaching the last 16 of the competition before losing to eventual winners Argentina.

The 24-year-old’s impressive displays in Qatar were all the more remarkable having only recently recovered from a serious knee injury which ruled out Souttar for over a year.

Souttar has been attracting interest from Premier League clubs prior to his injury. However, his stunning performances in Qatar have brought him onto the radar of a host of top clubs across Europe once again.

We revealed last month how Wolves and West Ham were among those pondering a move for Souttar.

However, it is Leicester pushing to do a deal for the defender before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

Reports are indicating Leicester will pay around £12.5m for Souttar after their opening offer of £10m was rejected last week. Add-ons could take the deal towards the £15m mark, however.

Stoke boss Alex Neil was playing down claims Souttar could leave the Potters before the window closes.

“It’ll be highly doubtful that Soutts will be leaving,” Neil told BBC Radio Stoke.

However, we understand things have since developed following Leicester’s increased offer. And we understand Souttar may well find himself a Leicester player before the window closes.

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