Leicester City are reportedly eager to sign Schalke forward Moussa Sylla as the Bundesliga club prepares to offload their leading goalscorer.
Bild in Germany reports that City are pursuing Sylla alongside an unnamed Championship team, with the 25-year-old absent from Schalke training on Wednesday.
The club reportedly stated that the Mali international had digestive problems, but Bild suggests his absence is due to his impending exit.
Schalke, now in Germany’s second division, are financially strained and must sell to address budget deficits.
A transfer for Sylla is expected to cost between €5m and €6m (£4.3m and £5.2m) as a base fee, with additional clauses pushing the deal to €7m (£6m).
Emerging through Monaco’s youth system but struggling to find the net consistently there or at Utrecht, Sylla has thrived over the past two seasons.
A 15-goal season for Pau in Ligue 2 secured his transfer to Schalke, where he netted 16 goals in 27 Bundesliga 2 matches last term.
City are seeking a new forward before the transfer window closes, with Jamie Vardy still to be replaced following his summer departure.
Jordan Ayew has started all three Championship matches as the striker so far under Marti Cifuentes, with the Ghanaian then shifting to a deeper role in the second half, with Patson Daka entering as a substitute.
While both Ayew and Daka scored twice under Cifuentes in pre-season, neither has found the back of the net in the competitive season.