Leicester City are poised to sign Ozan Kabak in a cut-price move after Schalke accepted an £8 million offer for the Turkish defender.
According to Journalist Rudy Galetti, Leicester City are on the verge of bringing Ozan Kabak back to the Premier League in what looks like a cut-price deal for the Turkish star. Schalke have reportedly accepted an £8 million offer from the Foxes, who are keen to bolster their defence next season.
Kabak has been pencilled in for a bright future even though Schalke have been in turmoil for a while now. The Turkish star eventually joined Liverpool on loan in a hasty, January deadline day move earlier this year. The deal contained an option for the Reds to make it permanent, but Jurgen Klopp decided against it.
The defender came to Anfield at the worst possible time. All Liverpool’s first-choice central defenders were out for the season, injured, with only Joel Matip limping his way into games. He, too, succumbed to his niggling problems, leave the young trio of Kabak, Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams to handle the intense pressure.
Liverpool failed to defend their Premier League crown but managed to achieve a top-four finish. Kabak made some nervy mistakes in his nine games in the league, although he did show improvements towards the end of his tenure while donning the red shirt of Merseyside. Klopp went on to sign Ibrahima Konate to shore up his backline for the new season after passing up on a permanent deal for the Turk.
Now, Leicester City are ready to bring the Turkish star back to the Premier League. The Foxes have a bid accepted by Schalke for £8 million. The German side were asking for a fee double that value for Kabak not very long ago. However, their troubled financial situation coupled with relegation means they need to raise funds selling, despite him having three years left on his contract.
Leicester will have to provide an atmosphere that is less pressurised for Kabak to excel. Brendan Rodgers has shown he can nurture a raw talent into a reliable force, as we saw Wesley Fofana’s meteoric rise last season.
Rodgers played with a back-three on most occasions last term. The likes of Fofana, Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans have cemented their places in that lineup. However, Evans is ageing and suffered niggling problems in 2020/21. Rodgers will have one eye on the future of the club with the signing of Kabak.
Additionally, the presence of Soyuncu will also help Kabak ease into the side. While his compatriot is a mainstay in the Foxes’ backline, Kabak will have to bide his time playing second fiddle to either of those defenders. If Kabak does shine for Leicester, Rodgers might even consider him to replace Evans when the Northern Irishman’s time comes to a close at the King Power Stadium.
