Leicester City could potentially be set to lose another key defender to a Premier League rival with Liverpool reportedly interested in Caglar Soyuncu.
According to The Daily Mirror, the Turkish centre-back is on the Reds’ five-man defensive shortlist and should they complete a deal, he would follow the likes of Harry Maguire and Ben Chilwell out of the King Power Stadium exit door.
The Leicester hierarchy must ensure that simply does not happen.
Who is Leicester City’s best centre-back?
Wes Morgan
Jonny Evans
Wesley Fofana
Caglar Soyuncu
Ever since his arrival in the East-Midlands from SC Freiburg in 2018, Soyuncu has slowly but surely established himself as one of the most dominant defenders in the Premier League.
Now rated at £36m, he has made 73 appearances for the Foxes and has become a key cog in a solid defensive partnership alongside veteran Jonny Evans.
He has done extremely well by stepping into the shoes of the departed Maguire. Soyuncu outperformed the record-breaking defender on tackles, clearances and pass success rate during the 2019/20 campaign according to WhoScored as the Foxes pursued a UEFA Champions League place, only to fall at the final hurdle.
Whilst Soyuncu’s current season has been disrupted through injury, his impact has still not gone unnoticed. With him in the side, Leicester’s Premier League win rate sits at 62.5% in 16 matches, whilst with the Turk sidelined that falls to 53%. It goes without saying then that without his immense presence at the back, the Foxes would certainly not be as high as they are in the table.
Soyuncu should certainly be held onto for the here and the now but it is in the future that Leicester will really feel his benefit. At just the age of 24, he still has plenty of time to improve and alongside the 20-year-old Wesley Fofana, the Foxes have the basis of an extremely strong future defensive pairing.
With Wes Morgan and Jonny Evans both on the wrong side of 30, it would be nonsensical to sell one of their apparent successors.
Brendan Rodgers has already praised Soyuncu for his “absolutely fantastic” performances in a Foxes shirt so he will surely be hugely disappointed to see him depart for a Premier League rival.
AND in more news, find out which of Soyuncu’s compatriots Leicester must not target…