Leicester City are poised to resolve their crisis at centre-back, having struck a deal to sign 19-year-old Ilari Kangasniemi for a seven-figure fee.
Russell Martin’s side have been focusing on adding defensive options in the wake of Ben Nelson’s devastating ACL injury at the start of the season, leaving the Foxes with just club captain Harry Souttar and Caleb Okoli as their senior options.
League-Record Deal Made
However, Leicester have now taken steps to resolve their woes at the back, which have permeated into their opening League One results against Notts County and Burton Albion by striking a deal to sign Ilari Kangasniemi.
According to YLE in the defender’s native Finland, City have struck a €2.5 million (£2.1 million) deal to sign the former Inter Milan prospect, who is currently playing for FC Inter Turku in the Veikkausliiga.
It is believed that Kangasniemi has travelled to the East Midlands today in order to conduct a medical, with a deal expected to be announced shortly after the completion of his tests.
The seven-figure sale marks a league record for the Finnish top-flight, which surpasses the €1.8 million Schalke spent in 2011 to sign Teemu Pukki, who later went on to make a name for himself with Norwich City in England.
Kangasniemi has been a crucial part of Inter Turku’s failed push for the league title this season, playing and starting in 14 of their 21 matches so far, with Sinimustat trailing league leaders Kuopion Palloseura by four points with just one league game remaining.
He has courted interest throughout the summer, with previous YLE reports stating that several bids had been received, with the highest offer reaching up to the value of €1.5 million (£1.28 million) from an unnamed side.
Important Addition Made
With Leicester City facing a much more daunting task than initially expected, making further additions before the window shuts is now imperative to give them a good enough squad to compete.
Ilari Kangasniemi marks a risky, but crucial move for Leicester City to make, and with Harry Souttar much more likely to stay put after Sheffield United pulled the plug on a deal, it means that there is now the ability for Russell Martin to rotate his centre-backs.
An unproven prospect with just a single season of senior league football and some youth international caps under his belt, the 19-year-old now makes a massive step up to Leicester, where the expectations are high, meaning that he must be managed carefully, especially in a time when the fanbase are not in the best of moods.
However, given their situation with Ben Nelson out for the season, the Foxes need to continue to explore the market ahead of the window closing, and especially if Wout Faes leaves, then another experienced, proven centre-back option needs to be added to the squad.
