Yahoo News Leicester City transfer plans may be scuppered as new Juventus manager makes decision
Leicester City’s Matias Soule transfer plans may be scuppered by new Juventus manager Thiago Motta.
City are said to be readying a €25m (£21m) offer for the Argentinian forward, who caught the eye with a terrific campaign on loan at Frosinone last season. Despite the club’s relegation, Soule scored 11 goals and led Serie A for chances created.
But he returned to pre-season training with Juventus on Wednesday, and reports from Italy say the club’s new boss Motta is keen to keep him. Motta, who joined from Bologna this summer after leading them to Champions League qualification, sees Soule as a starter, even ahead of established Italian international Federico Chiesa.
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For now, Motta has asked to be able to assess Soule in pre-season training, albeit he knows his hopes of keeping the 21-year-old may be futile should a big offer come in. Soule is one of the few players Juventus have who can generate a significant fee, with the club holding out for an offer of €35m (£30m) amid interest from City, Marseille and Roma.
Juventus supporters want Soule to stick around too. They were heard chanting “Do not go!” outside the club’s training ground as Soule returned for pre-season.
City fans, meanwhile, have been appealing to the Argentinian as well. On social media, Soule wished new City signing Caleb Okoli good luck after he moved to the King Power Stadium, with the pair having played together at Frosinone last season. That prompted a few City supporters to tell Soule he should follow in his old team-mate’s footsteps.
Given Soule’s qualities in goal-scoring, creativity and ball-carrying, and his capacity to improve, his arrival would be a huge statement for City. He mostly played on the right wing last term, cutting in on his left foot, much like Abdul Fatawu, but he did also play centrally as a support striker towards the end of the campaign.
