Leicester City are leading the race to sign Getafe centre-back Djene Dakonam, according to the reports.
Dakonam was one of the standout performers in La Liga last season, and Spanish publication Marca have claimed that the Foxes are currently the frontrunners to make him sign on the dotted line.
Having already signed Youri Tielemans, James Justin and Ayoze Perez, Leicester City have injected a lot of quality this summer.
One area that they are short on is the defence, as Harry Maguire has finally been sold to Manchester United for a club record £80 million.
Maguire’s departure means Leicester will have to move quickly as they have a few days remaining before the window closes.
Dakonam has a release clause of €35million, and apart from Leicester, several other Premier League sides are also keeping close tabs on him.
Is Dakonam a good option for Leicester?
Dakonam was instrumental for Getafe last season as he helped them to a fifth-place finish in the Spanish Primera Liga table.
The 27-year old made 34 league appearances, mustering 1.6 tackles, 2.2 interceptions, and 4.4 clearances per game on an average.
Dakonam is a versatile player as he can play as a central defender, right-back as well as a central defensive midfielder if required.
Blessed with a strong physicality, Dakonam can outmuscle his opposition with relative ease. He is a decisive tackler, and is also an astute reader of the game.
The Togo international is quick as well, so he can keep up with agile attackers in the Premier League.
Defensively, Dakonam is an accomplished defender as he can put his foot in, and is good at reading the game to intercept and clear the ball, as indicated by the stats earlier.
One potential worry is the transition from the Primera Liga to the Premier League. Maguire’s ball-playing ability will be missed, so that’s one area where Dakonam will come under the spotlight.
Rodgers has always preferred a ball-playing centre-half, so no matter how good a player Dakonam is good defensively, he will have to show he can do a bit of the ‘marauding up the pitch’ as well.
Dakonam is a solid front-footed defender, and he certainly wouldn’t be a bad addition to the Leicester team.
