Why Leeds United did not sign Leicester City’s Super Eagles star on deadline day – report

The Yorkshire club endured a horrible transfer deadline day, but it could all have been different had they pursued their interest in the Nigeria international

Leeds United were interested in signing Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho during the just-concluded summer transfer window.

According to The Athletic, Leeds identified Iheanacho as a potential deadline-day transfer target but somehow concluded that the Super Eagles striker was ‘unattainable’.

Iheanacho is currently valued at €20 million, as per Transfermarkt. Leicester City paid just over €27 million to acquire the Nigeria international from Manchester City five years ago.

In Iheanacho, Leeds would have secured a proven goalscorer who has netted 47 goals and supplied 29 assists in 176 appearances across all competitions for Leicester.

Before his time with Leicester City, Iheanacho scored 21 goals in 64 senior appearances for Manchester City.

To get him, though, Leeds United would have needed to cough out a transfer fee well above €20 million to convince the Foxes to part with the 25-year-old.

It is not an amount beyond the reach of Leeds United, with the Yorkshire club recently paying €32.84 million for Brenden Aaronson and €25 million for Luis Sinisterra.

But Leeds decided to pursue other interests, the most notable of which was Marseille’s Bamba Dieng.

However, Leeds’s deal with Dieng collapsed in the closing hours of the transfer window, with the Senegalese forward choosing instead to move to Nice. The 22-year-old then sensationally failed a medical at the French club.

During a relatively quiet transfer window for Iheanacho, the Super Eagles striker was also linked to Fenerbahce, but nothing came out of that.