Stefano Sensi in Coppa Italia action for Inter Milan against Bologna
With a week to go in the transfer window, Leicester City are in a marginally worse position than when the month started.
Not that they could help it. They had no say in Cesare Casadei’s future, but no reason to believe Chelsea would recall him from his season-long loan spell. Now, City are even shorter on numbers in the one position their manager was most keen to strengthen.
They’re still not quite at the stage where they are desperate, but it would certainly be helpful if they were able to sign a new player for the centre of the park. Enzo Maresca has started to make that point more forcibly, suggesting that Ipswich’s late equaliser on Monday came because of his team’s tiredness in midfield, saying they need “something different”.
The man he wants is Stefano Sensi, the technically-excellent but injury-prone Italian international who excelled under Maresca’s best mate Roberto De Zerbi. It remains a deal that is possible.
Sensi is down to seventh on Inter Milan’s pecking order of midfielders, and so the Serie A title-chasers are not going to stand in his way, especially if they are to get a fee for him. Otherwise, he’ll leave on a free transfer in the summer. That fee is unlikely to be any more than €2m (£1.7m).
But right now, that does not feel affordable for City. Maresca was told at the start of the month that City needed to sell, and so far they haven’t. They are likely to have freed up some money with Casadei leaving early, but by Monday, Maresca had not been informed as to whether signing a player was now possible.
The good news is that if City do sell a player, signing Sensi should be a painless deal to do. Inter and the player seem happy for it to go through and it does not appear there are any other clubs interested.
That feels like more than enough work for City to do over the next week, but Maresca has said that in an ideal world, the club would bring in two midfielders. He’s aware that it will be tough, given the “struggle” it has been to even make one signing. If another player does come in, they are likely to be a young, promising player from the Premier League, much like Casadei was.
No other positions are of interest for City to strengthen right now. Maresca had previously indicated a desire to sign another left-footed defender, but has since said he’s happy with James Justin and Callum Doyle playing on that side of his back-line.
So if City’s business hinges on a player sale, then who’s going to leave? The most likely option is Dennis Praet. There is long-standing interest from Italy and now there are reports from Belgium that Royal Antwerp are keen to get a deal done. Whether any clubs would offer a fee is a different matter. Praet’s contract at City is up in the summer.
But for those who nearly left in the summer, it does not feel an exit is imminent. Patson Daka, who nearly joined AC Milan and then Bournemouth on the last deadline day, has since got himself back into contention at City, and so is likely to remain for at least the rest of the season.
Harry Souttar, whose game-time has been limited since the start of the season, recognises that he does need to play more regularly if he wants to keep his spot in the Australia team. But his duties with the Socceroos mean his focus is on the Asian Cup and not getting a move away from City.
Maresca has said last week that nobody had indicated to him that they wanted to leave, and that he was definitely not going to force anybody out. That puts City at a standstill unless something changes over the next week.
The only other potential exit would be for Luke Thomas. He’s now back at City after Sheffield United cancelled his loan spell there, but with no role for the left-back under Maresca, him leaving for another temporary home is possible.
What do you want to see happen at City over the final week of the window? Let us know in the comments section below.
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