Leicester City join European sides in race for striker

The 25-year-old has plied his trade in England before – and could be set for a return.

Leicester City are “plotting” a move for Montpellier striker Stephy Mavididi, according to a report from Football Insider

Enzo Maresca is looking to put his stamp on the Foxes following his appointment – and there has already been plenty happening at the King Power Stadium following his arrival in the Midlands.

James Maddison left for Tottenham Hotspur for a deal believed to be in the region of £40m – and Youri Tielemens officially sealed his exit from the club as he linked up with Aston Villa.

Others have arrived in return, with Harry Winks and Conor Coady coming in from Spurs and Wolverhampton Wanderers to strengthen their squad ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

And there’s likely to be plenty more transfer activity at Leicester before the transfer window shuts.

Who is Stephy Mavididi?

He will be a familiar name to EFL fans – because he spent the early stages of his career at Arsenal and was loaned out to Charlton and Preston North End before he left the Emirates permanently.

The former England youth international then linked up with Juventus but was unable to make a breakthrough there before being sold to Montpellier.

Having previously spent time on loan at Dijon, the 25-year-old already knew what life was like in France before his move to his current side. He has been at Montpellier since the summer of 2020.

He has a respectable scoring record at his current club, recording 21 goals and five assists in 98 appearances.

However, he only scored four times last season and will be desperate to improve on that next term, wherever he ends up.

Not only is he being monitored by Leicester, but he is also attracting interest from Club Brugge and Lille.

How long does Stephy Mavididi have left on his contract?

The forward’s contract comes to an end next year and that could give interested sides the chance to negotiate a reasonably cheap deal to lure him away from the French outfit.

However, the number of teams that bid for him could determine how much he costs, with Montpellier potentially able to create a bidding war if enough teams submit offers for him.

Would Stephy Mavididi be a good signing for Leicester City?

Able to play both centrally as a striker and on the wing, the 25-year-old could be a decent asset for Maresca to have, even if he hasn’t got the most prolific goalscoring record in recent seasons.

At 25, he could easily improve in the future and with his contract expiring next summer, he may not cost the Foxes too much to bring in.

The good thing about Mavididi is the fact he was born in England and has played in the country before, so it shouldn’t take him too long to settle back into this country if he does link up with Leicester.

He could be a particularly important player to have both on the wing and up top, with Harvey Barnes potentially on his way out of the club and Maresca not having a huge number of options up top.

The likes of Patson Daka, Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho are all available at the moment – but all three have been linked with moves away and it remains to be seen whether any of them will stay at the club beyond the summer.