Leicester City pip Seven Premier League clubs in the race to sign “exciting” £8m Hertha BSC star Ibrahim Maza

Leicester City pip Seven Premier League clubs in the race to sign “exciting” £8m Hertha BSC star Ibrahim Maza

City are now in the race to sign an “exciting” forward who they were interested in bringing in last summer, according to a report.

Leicester’s Premier League status in major doubt

With just over a third of the Premier League season left to play, Leicester find themselves in a real relegation dogfight, which is starting to look like it will be contested between just four teams.

Everton have been in resurgent form since David Moyes returned to Goodison Park in January, with James Tarkowski’s last-gasp Merseyside derby equaliser securing a dramatic late point for the Toffees last night.

As such, it seems very likely just one of Southampton, Ipswich Town, Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Foxes will survive, but recent signs have not been promising for the East Midlands outfit, losing eight of their last nine Premier League games.

Even if Ruud van Nistelrooy does manage to lead his side to safety, he is likely to want to bring in reinforcements in the summer to avoid a similar situation next term, and a new forward is now said to be on the radar.

That is according to a report from SportBILD (via Sport Witness), which has named Leicester as one of the clubs competing to sign Hertha BSC star Ibrahim Maza in the summer, but there is set to be fierce competition for his signature.

Seven Premier League clubs are set to battle it out for Maza, who has been a long-term target for the Foxes, having also been in for him last summer.

During the January transfer window, Hertha knocked back offers from FC Porto and AC Milan, at which point the German club were hopeful of holding out for a fee of well over €20m (£16.7m).

However, a clause in the forward’s contract means that figure is set to be halved in the summer, indicating he could be available for a fee of around £8m.

Difficult transfer for Leicester to pull off

Given that some top Premier League clubs are credited with an interest in the Algerian, namely Newcastle United and Manchester City, it may be difficult for the Foxes to get a deal done this summer, even if they manage to avoid the drop.

However, if Leicester are able to pull off a move, there are indications the 19-year-old could be a top signing, having received high praise from football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Leicester’s summer business will hinge massively on the division they find themselves in next season, but it is wise to be proactive ahead of the transfer window, and Maza looks like an exciting young prospect.

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