'Ideal' Leicester City transfer solution mooted as stance set out ahead of January window
A January return to Sevilla could be on the cards for Leicester City midfielder Boubakary Soumare.
The Frenchman spent last season on loan with the Spanish side and featured 28 times in La Liga, with all but two of those appearances coming as part of the starting XI. But he has struggled for game time since his return to the King Power Stadium.
Soumare has managed just three run-outs for City so far this term. He was in the XI against Walsall in the Carabao Cup for his first start for the club since the day they were relegated and came off the bench against Tottenham Hotspur in August and in the 1-0 victory over Bournemouth just before the international break.
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According to Spanish media outlet El Sevillista (via Sport Witness), the 25-year-old’s situation at City has caught the eye of his former club. It is said Sevilla are “considering the possibility” of swooping for him when the transfer window reopens in January.
Strengthening their options in the centre of the pitch is said to be a priority for Sevilla, with Soumare viewed as an “ideal solution”. The report adds the player himself has indicated a desire to “return to an environment in which he felt comfortable”.
Sevilla decided against exercising their purchase option when Soumare’s loan ended in the summer. However, it is mooted they could look into the possibility of taking him on loan again but this time with a cheaper option to buy included in any deal.
City boss Steve Cooper has previously said of the player’s situation: “Bouba’s part of the group and has waited for a chance to play. There was a lot of talk about him leaving during the transfer window and some of that stuff was out of my hands. Through the transfer window I spoke about committing to the players we work with every day and Bouba’s very much part of that.
“There’s opportunities for every player. Players were given an opportunity (against Walsall), and they deserved it because of the way they train. We’re a together group and I believe in all of the players.
“Bouba’s no different to anybody else. I know there’s always a back story to every player, maybe where they’ve been before, their transfer fee, their age, but we have to treat every player for how we see them at the present time and Bouba will be no different to anybody else.”