Leicester City are reportedly interested in signing Fiorentina attacker Nicolas Gonzalez, as Brendan Rodgers looks to bolster his forward options in this transfer window.
The Foxes enjoyed a mini-resurgence in form as they went into the World Cup break with five wins from eight Premier League games. They have failed to kick on after the resumption of the Premier League, with Brendan Rodgers’ side yet to pick up a point from their last four games. It is clear that the club are in dire need of reinforcements and Brendan Rodgers has prioritised signing an attacker.
According to the Daily Mail, Leicester City have stepped up their pursuit of signing Fiorentina’s £30million-rated attacker, Nicolas Gonzalez. The Argentine forward has been a priority target for Brendan Rodgers, but the report claims that Fiorentina have rebuffed Leicester City’s offer and now look set to keep him at the club.
Fiorentina’s stance will come as a big blow to Rodgers, whose side are now only two points above the relegation zone.
Nicolas Gonzalez to Leicester City—Should they go all out for him?
Leicester City have yet to fire all cylinders this season, managing just 26 goals in 19 Premier League games. It now seems like age is finally starting to catch up on Jamie Vardy, who has netted just one league goal thus far, while Patson Daka has blown hot and cold.
Due to the poor form of Vardy, Daka and Iheanacho, the onus of creating chances and scoring goals has fallen on the shoulders of James Maddison, who has been the club’s best player by far this campaign. However, Maddison is currently out with a niggling knee problem and the Foxes have mightily struggled in the playmaker’s injury absence.
It has been a quiet month for Leicester as they have not yet made a single signing to improve the struggling team, although that may change in the final two weeks of the window. With the strikers misfiring and Maddison out for the foreseeable future, the Foxes must definitely look to make an addition to the attacking unit.
Nicolas Gonzalez, in that regard, could be a great fit for Leicester. Gonzalez’s injury problems at Fiorentina have been a big concern though, with him managing just seven Serie A appearances this season and only two starts. But when fit and firing, he is undoubtedly Fiorentina’s best player who has shown his ability time and again to turn a game on its head.
Primarily a left winger, Nicolas Gonzalez can play in a variety of attacking roles – on the right or as a centre-forward – and would provide Brendan Rodgers with flexibility in tactics. The Argentine’s combination of creativity, pace, off-ball work ethic, dribbling ability and composure in front of goal make him the type of forward who could thrive under Rodgers at Leicester. He would immediately be an upgrade over Ayoze Perez and Marc Albrighton and offer some much-needed dynamism and flair in the final third.
That said, Leicester must now swoop to make a mega move for Nicolas Gonzalez as the Argentina international has the potential to be a phenomenal signing, provided he keeps his fitness intact.