Foxes make £7million bid to Stoke City
Leicester City have made an ambitious bid to sign Stoke City midfielder Steven N’Zonzi, according to Sky Sports News.
The Frenchman could be on his way out of the Britannia Stadium this summer, and is refusing to sign a new contract at the club with his current one expiring in 12-months time.
Stoke have the decision to make whether they cash in now, or risk losing him on a free this time next year, but The Potters have already rejected one offer for the powerhouse midfielder.
Interest in N’Zonzi
Spanish side Sevilla launched a formal £3million bid for the 26-year-old, but it was quickly turned down by the Premier League side, who labelled the bid as ‘derisory’.
However, Premier League rivals Leicester have now launched a formal bid and it’s believed to be around £7m, which is over double what the La Liga side offered.
Leicester managed to ensure their Premier League safety last season after a stunning turnaround from Nigel Pearson‘s men, and now they are ready to splash the cash in order to avoid the drop next season.
Despite the formal offers coming in, Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes is still hopeful of persuading N’Zonzi to stay at the club.
Stoke Statement
Scholes told The Sentinel: “In terms of Steven, and other members of the squad, we are talking and are in constant touch with the representatives and the players themselves.
“Steven’s a great footballer, and obviously player-of-the-year, and we would dearly love to keep him but we will see. We don’t want to be losing players of quality like Steven, but that’s not always in our hands.”
Manager Mark Hughes is also desperate to keep hold of the midfielder, who won the club’s Player of the Year for his performances during the 2014/2015 campaign.
Stoke paid just £3m for N’Zonzi back in 2012 after he agreed to join them from Blackburn Rovers.
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
