Manchester United winger Daniel James has reportedly emerged as a transfer target for Leicester City, who are intent on bolstering their attacking options.
According to Italian journalist Rudy Galetti on Twitter, Leicester City have identified Manchester United forward Daniel James as a potential target to strengthen their attack in the ongoing transfer window.
James started out at the Hull City academy before switching to the Swansea City youth setup in 2014, where he broke into the first-team in 2018 and went on to make close to 40 appearances before being snapped up by Manchester United in the summer of 2019.
The 23-year-old made a blazing start to life at Old Trafford, scoring on his debut and enjoying a solid run in the early phases of his stint with the Red Devils. However, it has been pretty much downhill for James ever since, even though there have been glimpses of his ability every now and then.
James featured just 26 times in all competitions for Manchester United in the 2020/21 campaign, with only 11 of them being starts in the Premier League. The Wales international managed a return of just five goals and two assists as a result. And, with Jadon Sancho’s imminent arrival at Old Trafford, his game-time is likely to take a further hit in the upcoming campaign.
Waiting to make the most of the situation are Leicester City. The Foxes are in the market for wide forwards this summer and have been strongly linked with Italy’s UEFA Euro 2020 winner Domenico Berardi. However, his steep valuation has led to them looking for alternatives, with James emerging as one, along with Noni Madueke, who has been linked with Leeds United as well.
As things stand, Brendan Rodgers has just two natural wingers in the squad in the form of Marc Albrighton, who has not been a regular starter for quite some time now and Harvey Barnes, who is recovering from a long-term injury. So, it makes sense for Leicester to look to add to their attacking options out on the flanks, making James a viable target this summer.
The update from Galetti claims that Leicester are potentially looking at a loan deal with an option to buy next year. Whether Manchester United are willing to entertain such an arrangement remains to be seen. Furthermore, with Marcus Rashford set to be sidelined for a few months due to an impending surgery, there may very well be a chance that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decides to hold on to James as well.
So, it remains to be seen whether Leicester City’s pursuit of the Wales international yields the desired outcome or if they are forced to look elsewhere instead.
