Real Sociedad's Diego Llorente in action. (Getty Images)
Back in November 2019, the Daily Mirror had claimed that Leicester City were interested in signing Real Sociedad defender Diego Llorente.
Diego Llorente, 26, moved to Real Sociedad from Real Madrid in the summer of 2017 after failing to break into the Los Blancos’ first-team. The defender has made 19 appearances for Real Sociedad this season, bagging two assists.
The 26-year-old has progressed by leaps and bounds ever since his permanent switch to Sociedad in 2017, establishing himself as one of the mainstays of the club’s backline and gaining international recognition with Spain. Given his consistent performances for Sociedad in the La Liga for the last couple of seasons, Leicester City must rekindle their interest in Llorente during the summer transfer window.
The Foxes are hoping for a finish in the top four to qualify for the Champions League. Their success this season has been mainly due to the likes of Jamie Vardy, James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Harvey Barnes.
Speaking of the defensive unit, Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans have been ever-present in the heart of the defence, forming a strong partnership that has seen the Foxes concede only 28 goals in 29 games. In fact, Brendan Rodgers’ side have not felt the absence of Harry Maguire, who joined Manchester United before the start of the season.
Due to a lack of options at the back, the Foxes signed centre-back Ryan Bennett on loan from Wolves on transfer deadline day. They loaned out Benkovic to Bristol City in January and the Croat’s return remains due in June. However, one must not forget that Wes Morgan is 36 and has entered the final stages of his career. Above all, he is out of contract in the summer.
Not to forget, Evans has also entered the 30s. Keeping that in mind, Brendan Rodgers should look to add fresh faces to increase competition ahead of the next campaign. To that end, Diego Llorente would be a good fit at the King Power Stadium.
Llorente has shown his quality for Sociedad over the last two seasons and has the potential to shine in the Premier League. He has played 77 games for Sociedad till date and at 26, the centre-back could hit his prime. He could take his game to the next level under the watchful guidance of Rodgers.
The 26-year-old has also illustrated the versatility to play a holding midfield role and that should appeal to Rodgers. The Foxes need more depth in their squad to potentially compete in Europe next term and Llorente certainly has the quality to make a difference.
With Benkovic still very much an unproven entity in the Premier League, the Foxes could find themselves short of adequate cover at the back in case of an injury to either of the two first-choice centre-backs later on in the campaign. Having said that, Leicester must do everything possible to acquire the services of Llorente this summer.
