Leicester City have been searching for a new winger over the weekend, as Marti Cifuentes aims to guide his team back to the Premier League on the first attempt.
The Foxes are competing with Celtic for Feyenoord winger Calvin Stengs, although the Scottish giants will only pursue a deal if they qualify for the League Phase of the Champions League this season.
Back in the Championship, it’s been a stable yet somewhat disappointing start for the East Midlands team. They do have six points on the table, but they are yet to achieve a decisive victory since relegation to the second tier was confirmed.
Nevertheless, with fewer than seven days remaining in the transfer window, the contest for new additions is starting to intensify. However, for Leicester, Stengs may not be their primary objective.
Where Leicester City stand in the race for Calvin Stengs:
The 26-year-old has yet to feature for Feyenoord this season, and the Dutch club are willing to sell the winger this summer.
However, it has now been reported by Anthony Joseph that Leicester will only pursue a deal for Stengs if Bilal El Khannouss departs the King Power Stadium before next Monday’s transfer deadline day.
This follows after Serie A side Pisa held advanced discussions with the former AZ Alkmaar player, as they seek to arrange a loan move for the winger.
El Khannouss appeared poised to join Crystal Palace before Eberechi Eze opted for a move to Arsenal over Tottenham Hotspur, and Spurs may well re-enter the race for the Morocco international.
Keeping Bilal El Khannouss will be challenging for the Foxes:
Ensuring that Leicester maintain their flexibility is vital with such limited time left in the transfer window, and Stengs must remain a priority for them.
However, retaining El Khannouss is clearly how Cifuentes wishes to conclude this summer, although he was excluded from the lineup against Charlton Athletic on Saturday.
It would not be unexpected to see Tottenham submit a substantial offer for the 21-year-old in the coming days, as the Europa League champions continue to miss out on other targets.
Nevertheless, Leicester will need to act swiftly for Stengs if this occurs, and they must not let Celtic or Pisa surpass them in the pursuit of the Dutch winger.