The race for Patson Daka is heating up, with Leicester City and Chelsea reportedly joining Liverpool in the race for his signature.
According to The Express, a Premier League battle is ensuing for the signature of Red Bull Salzburg striker Patson Daka after Leicester City joined the race to sign him. There is already considerable interest in the Zambian hotshot this summer from Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham.
Patson Daka’s incredible season in the Austrian Bundesliga may have turned plenty of heads across England and Europe. The likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs have reportedly shown interest in the striker. Leicester City now join them in the hunt.
Daka has successfully replaced Erling Haaland at Salzburg and his 29 goals in 36 games is proof enough. The 22-year-old is expected to become a formidable striker like Haaland in the future, making the widespread interest in him rather unsurprising.
Daka is understood to prefer a move to the Premier League this summer, and while there’s no shortage of options in England, the decision has to be a wise one, amid interest from Chelsea, Liverpool, Leicester City and Tottenham.
Spurs, Chelsea and Liverpool are all interested. But these three clubs have experienced, established strikers in their roster at the moment. Challenging established forwards such as Harry Kane, Roberto Firmino and Timo Werner could be a big ask and this is where Leicester City come in.
Leicester currently have 34-year-old Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho as their central options. While the ageing Vardy showed signs of slowing down last season, and Iheanacho is on a hot streak, Brendan Rodgers will be wary of putting all his chances on the two forwards for the whole season.
The former Liverpool boss will, therefore, want a third forward option in Daka. A move to Leicester would also make sense for Daka, as he will be under less pressure comparatively. The Zambian could also learn from Vardy and Iheanacho to bide his time and establish himself as a future star.
Daka is reportedly valued at around £17 million, and Salzburg will not stand in the way if one of the big sides came in for their striker. Haaland also moved for a similar price and Salzburg were happy to do the sale. It is certainly an affordable price for Chelsea, Liverpool, Leicester and Tottenham, considering Daka’s numbers in front of goal.
As for the big clubs, they already have top targets, such as Chelsea, who are vying for Harry Kane’s signature. Daka, for them, would represent a future star, someone they would expect to not use right from the onset, thereby possibly providing Leicester the initiative in his pursuit.