Leicester: Foxes could sign £15m Vestergaard upgrade

The summer transfer window officially slams shut on Friday and Leicester City could make further additions to their squad before the deadline passes.

Who have Leicester signed this summer?
Enzo Maresca has been able to bolster his group with the signings of Mads Hermansen, Conor Coady, Harry Winks, and Stephy Mavididi on permanent deals.

The Foxes have also dipped into the loan market to sign Yunus Akgun, Callum Doyle, and Cesare Casadei until the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Earlier this month, journalist John Percy claimed that Leicester are one of the teams interested in signing Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Premier League champions Manchester City.

The treble-winners are reportedly looking for a fee within the region of £15m to allow him to leave on a permanent basis, although they could be forced to settle for a loan if no one is willing to stump up that figure.

How good is Taylor Harwood-Bellis?
Maresca could land a big upgrade on current Leicester centre-back Jannik Vestergaard by securing a deal to sign the England U21 international before the deadline.

Harwood-Bellis has proven himself to be an exceptional Championship performer after an impressive season on loan with Burnley last term and has the potential to develop further at the age of 21, which means that he could be a signing for the future as well as the here and now.

The Cityzens prospect averaged a superb Sofascore rating of 7.21 across 32 second-tier appearances for the Clarets last season as he caught the eye with 2.9 tackles and interceptions per game and a ground duel success rate of 65%.

Vestergaard, meanwhile, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.08 across four league outings for Leicester this term and has won 62% of his ground battles alongside 2.5 tackles and interceptions per match.

This comes after the Denmark international, who did not make a single league appearance last season, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.76 across ten top-flight clashes during the 2021/22 campaign.

These statistics suggest that the £15m-rated titan has the ability to perform to a greater level by being more efficient in his ground duels whilst also making more defensive interventions per game to help his team to win possession back on a consistent basis.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig reacted to Harwood-Bellis’ performances at Championship level by stating that the defender is “the real deal” and has the potential to play for a top-six side in the Premier League.

No central defender within the division averaged a higher Sofascore rating than the colossal gem during the 2022/23 campaign, which suggests – based on his performance levels – that no one from that season has a better chance of making it at the top level.

This means that Leicester would be signing a player who has the quality to make an immediate impact on the pitch whilst also having time on his side to go on a journey with the club, as he could develop into a Premier League quality ace if the side earns promotion this season.

Whereas, Vestergaard is heading into the final years of his career at the age of 32 and is not a player who is likely to be part of the XI in the long-term, which is another reason why Harwood-Bellis could be a big upgrade on the former Southampton man.