Leicester City are keeping a close watch on Sao Paulo defender Lucas Beraldo this January and will match the club’s £16 million price tag, according to reports in Brazil.
The Foxes have had an excellent start to life back in the Championship and are currently sitting top of the second tier heading into the busy Christmas period, 10 points clear of third-place Leeds United with a game in hand which will be played tonight against Birmingham City.
Enzo Maresca has worked wonders with the former Premier League champions thus far and managed to maintain a lot of key players during the summer, including the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Ricardo Pereira, Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho.
However, with a lot of football still to be played, Leicester City have turned their attention towards the January window to bring in reinforcements to help the club in their fight for an immediate return to the top-flight.
One name being touted with a move to the King Power Stadium is Sao Paulo centre-back Lucas Beraldo. According to UOL, Russian side Zenit Saint Petersburg are in the race the sign the defender this winter but could be outfought by Leicester.
The outlet are claiming, via Sport Witness, that Zenit have placed a £14 million bid on the table but the Brazilian club are holding out for £15.8 million, a price that Leicester are willing to match to come out on top in the pursuit of his signature.
The English outfit are willing to allow centre-back Harry Souttar to leave the club when the transfer window opens in a few weeks’ time and Beraldo could be the perfect replacement for the Australia international.
Writer’s View
It has been revealed in the past that Beraldo currently has a £52 million release clause in his contract, having recently penned a new five-year deal with the three-time Copa Libertadores champions, but it looks as though Sao Paulo are willing to accept £36 million less than that figure.
However, Zenit have signed a few Brazilians in recent seasons, including ex-Barcelona star Malcolm as well as highly-rated young defender Robert Renan, an international teammate of Beraldo’s, which could have some sway on the matter.
Deputy Head of Writing
