On Thursday afternoon, we relayed claims from TuttoMercatoWeb that Leicester City defender Yohan Benalouane was, like Islam Slimani, looking for a way out from King Power Stadium.
The Foxes’ centre-back was said to be all for a return to Italy, where a handful of clubs were reportedly after his services, and it was entirely believable.
After all, the 30-year-old has barely featured this season for Leicester, and, having spent £6m on him in the first place, the Premier League side might want to recoup some of that while they still can.
However, Italy might not be the only destination available to him, as Saint-Etienne could throw their hat into the mix, currently on the lookout for defensive reinforcements.
Having failed to convince Kurt Zouma that a return to Stade Geoffroy-Guichard would be good for him, the Ligue 1 side have been urged to go after Benalouane by his former teammate and now But! Football Club consultant Fousseni Diawara.
Speaking to the French website, the former footballer said: “Someone like Benalouane would do the club some good. He’s good technically, he’s strong, and knows the club really well. He was formed here. I know he would love to come back.
“There would be no adaptation problems, especially since he knows Loïc Perrin well. He would be a good purchase at a small cost. He’s gained experience in England and Italy”.
At Saint-Etienne between 2001 and 2010, Benalouane made 80 appearances for Les Verts during his three years as a professional for the club.
It makes sense, but first, Saint-Etienne will need to be interested in him, and, for now, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
