For Bacary Sagna, free agency hasn’t exactly gone to plan.
The former Manchester City right-back is still without a club since his contract at the Etihad expired last June, and reports in Italy have suggested even Benevento aren’t convinced about what he can bring to their team.
However, there was a period when clubs were allegedly very interested in his services, including Leicester City, with whom the defender came close to signing, only for the Foxes to then disappear off the grid.
Speaking to beIN Sports in France, the 34-year-old said: “I was in touch with quite a few clubs, from March onwards. Then they just simply vanished, some for unknown reasons. A club I reached an agreement with was Leicester also vanished towards the end of the transfer window.
⚽🇬🇧 #ChampionsArena @Sagnaofficial : “J’étais en contact avec plusieurs clubs en mars, puis ils ont disparu. J’étais tombé d’accord avec Leicester” pic.twitter.com/aumJXSe58e
— beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) January 24, 2018
“They contacted me, I’d pretty much sorted everything out and then I waited at home from 1pm til 7pm. Nothing. They remained evasive and then they made excuses, that I don’t doubt, but during that time I missed a few opportunities. Then a few clubs approached me, but it didn’t feel right.”
If you’ve been following the January transfer window, you’ll be well aware of Claude Puel’s attempts at strengthening the position, with bids for Bouna Sarr and André Almeida proving futile for now.
Furthermore, the fact the Leicester manager has yet to make an attempt to bring in Sagna suggests the initial contact was a Craig Shakespeare idea, and not the club’s.
