Leicester City were ‘close’ to late January defender signing – Player could be available for €6m next summer

By the end of January, Portuguese newspaper O Jogo revealed Leicester City’s interest in Gil Vicente defender Gabriel Pereira.

The outlet claimed the Foxes were involved in the race for the defender, who then ended up staying at this club, despite the many clubs chasing him.

Today, Brazilian outlet UOL features a story on that case, claiming Leicester City actually got close to signing Pereira.

It’s recalled that the Foxes first tried the signing of Lucas Beraldo, who ended up moving to Paris Saint Germain, and the Gil Vicente player then showed up as an ‘option’.

The report claims that despite the ‘pressure’ from Leicester City, the Portuguese club decided to hold the player and only negotiate him in the next summer.

UOL writes that Pereira, who’s also wanted by CSKA and Porto, is protected by a €10m release clause, but he’s considered to be negotiable for just €6m.

We now shall see whether Leicester City will be back for him in the summer, as a potential promotion to the Premier League could give them new plans about their reinforcements and new money to seek them out.