Leicester make new striker bid and target midfielder

Mark Holmes
Ahmed Musa: Subject of more interest from Leicester

Ahmed Musa: Subject of more interest from Leicester

Leicester City have made a new bid to sign CSKA Moscow striker Ahmed Musa and are reported to also want Nice midfielder Nampalys Mendy.

Leicester failed with an offer of around £17million to sign Musa in the January transfer window but have now made a fresh approach as they look to bolster their squad for the Champions League.

CSKA were not willing to sell Musa midway through the season as they chased the Russian title, successfully, but the club’s manager Leonid Slutskiy says a transfer is much more likely to take place during the off-season.

He told Match TV: “The British club offered a bit less than €30million (£22.8m)

“Musa came to me a few days ago and asked when he [Claudio Ranieri] is back for the holidays and I told him I do not know, I do not know Ranieri.’

Asked about the chances of the move taking place, Slutskiy added: “I do not know for sure. It is the work of our management but I think the probability is high.”

According to the Daily Mirror, Leicester are also back in for Mendy, who they tried to sign last summer before eventually landing N’Golo Kante.

Kante turned out to be a huge success but could leave the King Power Stadium after just one year, with a £20million release clause in his contract, attracting interest from clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.

Ranieri is therefore planning for life without the France midfielder and so plans a second bid for Mendy, who has only one year remaining on his Nice deal.

West Ham, Southampton and Sunderland are also said to be interested, but Leicester are able to offer the 23-year-old Champions League football and so would be favourites.