Leicester City have turned to Bosnia and Herzegovina striker Admir Bristrić as Russell Martin looks to add a more conventional goalscoring option to his squad.
The Foxes have completed a permanent move for the 23-year-old from Olimpija Ljubljana, handing him a four-year contract after an impressive campaign in Slovenia. Bristrić spent last season with NK Bravo and produced 13 goals alongside four assists, form which has now earned him a move to English football.
According to reports, the deal has been completed for an undisclosed fee. Figures elsewhere have put the initial cost at around €1.15m, just under £1m, with a sizeable package of potential add-ons included in the agreement.
His arrival gives Martin something his squad had been short of during the early weeks of the season. Leicester moved into the new campaign without Patson Daka or Jordan Ayew, leaving Bobby De Cordova-Reid to operate through the middle despite not being an orthodox centre-forward.
Bristrić should offer a different profile. Standing at 1.87m, he has played both centrally and from wider attacking positions during his career, although his productive spell with Bravo came primarily as a forward. He has also represented Bosnia and Herzegovina through the youth age groups, including at Under-21 level.
The move represents another important step in Martin’s rebuild after he took charge at Leicester this summer. The former Swansea City, Southampton and Rangers boss was appointed in June on a contract running until 2029, with the club attempting to reshape the squad following another period of significant change.
Attention may now turn towards strengthening elsewhere, particularly in central defence. Ben Nelson’s knee injury has complicated Leicester’s plans and Martin has already acknowledged that the club may need to become more proactive in that area before the transfer window closes.
“It probably means that we will be more active in that position in the transfer market than we would have been. We’ll have to wait and see who’s still here.
“It’s a huge blow for us [Nelson], I really thought he was going to be a huge player for us this season. So now we have to be prepared to replace that.”
For now, though, the most obvious attacking vacancy has been filled. Bristrić arrives on the back of the most productive season of his senior career and Leicester will be hoping that form can translate quickly as Martin attempts to put his stamp on the side.
