Leicester City Close to Completing Deal for Monaco Winger After Successful Medical
After tenuous links with the likes of Adnan Januzaj and Thorgan Hazard, it appears all but certain that Monaco's Rachid Ghezzal has been tasked with the duty of replacing Riyad Mahrez at Leicester City.
The Foxes have been looking for an attacking threat from wide after the Algerian's departure, and it seems they have replaced him with his countryman Ghezzal. As the English transfer window closes in under one week, Leicester are comfortable that this deal will beat the fax machine deadline.
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French outlet Foot Mercato report that Ghezzal's medical was successful, and a four-year-deal with a transfer fee of around €15m has been agreed
Joining the major summer signings of £20m man James Madison, Danny Ward from Liverpool and Northern Ireland's Jonny Evans, Ghezzal is likely to slot straight into Claude Puel's first eleven.
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Born in France, the ancestral Algerian has represented his adopted nation in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. With another edition of the cup in Cameroon next summer, he will hope performances at his new club confirm a starting place for the tournament.
Spending five years with Lyon, the winger switched to Monaco last season on a free transfer. It seems his stay in the principality will be a short one however, as this deal is close to finalisation.
Last year, AS Monaco owner and Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev was handed down a world record divorce settlement by courts, a staggering €2.6B. Accounting to around half his wealth, Rybolovlev is looking to cash in at every avenue possible.
Struggling for game time at the Ligue 1 side, Ghezzal only started seven matches last term. It is likely he will need to get up to speed quickly, with Leicester opening the Premier League against Manchester United on Friday night.
