GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - DECEMBER 30: Odsonne Edouard of Celtic warms up prior to the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee United at Celtic Park on December 30, 2020 in Glasgow, Scotland. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
According to Alex Crook via TalkSPORT (h/t Glasgow Live), Leicester City have received a boost in their efforts to sign Odsonne Edouard. It is believed that the Celtic forward could be available for as little as £20m.
He has been reluctant to sign an extension and his current deal runs out in less than 18 months. Manager Brendan Rodgers has worked with Edouard previously during their time at Celtic.
Leicester are having another good campaign under Brendan Rodgers and while they made some good additions like Wesley Fofana, Cengiz Under and Timothy Castagne, it still seems like they are a bit short-staffed at centre-forward. With Islam Slimani leaving for Lyon, Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho remain the only two options for Rodgers.
Veteran striker Vardy still remains the side’s obvious first-choice man following his consistent goal-scoring exploits. Ayoze Perez is more suited to a second-striker role or a wide role. Lastly, Iheanacho is the backup for Vardy. However, if Leicester are to continue on their upward trajectory, they need another prolific goalscorer.
It is clear that the Foxes are in clear need of another consistent goalscorer in order to improve their displays this season. The club’s interest in Edouard makes complete sense. They should, therefore, not hesitate to sign him.
It is evident that Leicester lack a proven goalscorer in their ranks other than Vardy. Who better than Edouard, who has proved himself in just two years at Celtic, to ease some of those issues. Moreover, he is just 22 and could go on to become the player to lead their attack in the coming years.
Given the fact that Vardy is already 34 years of age, Leicester need to start thinking about the future and Edouard makes a good case for himself. He should have no problem settling down, given he has worked with Rodgers previously.
At £20m, Edouard is a huge coup especially if the long-term scenario is considered where he can take over from Vardy later.