Leicester City want to sign Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund before the end of the transfer window, according to a report.
The Foxes have been stretched at the back since the start of the season, with regular starter Jonny Evans sustaining an injury that kept him out of the opening Premier League games and the side no longer keen to rely on an ageing Wes Morgan. Brendan Rodgers is desperate to add more depth in defence and hopefully find a long-term partner to Çağlar Söyüncü.
Leicester recently had a second bid - worth more than £30m - rejected for Burnley's club captain James Tarkowski, and have also been interested in signing St Etienne's young starlet Wesley Fofana.
Rodger's side are the front runners in the race for Tarkowski's signature and are reportedly expected to launch a third bid to secure his services, but there is still no guarantee that Burnley will accept that offer.
In the case of Fofana, St Etienne are reluctant to offload the highly-rated 19-year-old but would be willing to negotiate with Leicester if it meant that Fofana immediately returned on loan for the remainder of the 20/21 season.
Because signing Tarkowski is proving to be a difficult negotiation and the Fofana deal doesn't provide the immediate depth that Rodgers wants, the The Mirror report that the Foxes have now turned their attention towards signing Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji.
The report claims that Brendan Rodgers has earmarked Akanji as a viable defensive option. Dortmund do see Akanji as part of their future plans but Leicester are willing to test the German sides' resolve with an offer they may not want to refuse.
Akanji is confident bringing the ball out from the back and is known for his well-timed, long, accurate passes. The Swiss international clearly suits Brendan Rodgers' style of football but it'll take a fee in the region of £18m to land the 25-year-old.
Source : 90min