Leicester City must consider transfer raid for 10-goal midfielder if Bilal El Khannouss exits | OneFootball

It is reported that Leicester City's Bilal El Khannouss has a release clause of £22 million & the Foxes should target Eduard Spertsyan to replace him.

As Leicester City prepare for their return to the Championship, the Foxes are preparing themselves for a fairly major rebuild this summer. One man that could be out the door is Bilal El Khannouss, but an ideal replacement that should already be lined up is Krasnodar’s attacking midfielder, Eduard Spertsyan.

Leicester have endured a fairly miserable Premier League campaign with manager Ruud van Nistelrooy’s future up in the air amid rumours of Sean Dyche being lined up by the club, whilst club legend Jamie Vardy will also depart.

Another man that could leave the King Power Stadium is Morocco international attacking midfielder Bilal El Khannouss, who has a £22 million release clause in his contract.

El Khannouss joined Leicester from Genk last summer and has improved as the season has gone on with some good performances towards the end of the campaign, which may well catch the eye of suitors due to that release clause.

If he was to depart, then the Foxes would do a lot worse than moving for Armenia international Spertsyan, who could be their marquee addition as they search for an immediate return to the Premier League next season.

The impressive Spertsyan

Spertsyan, who was linked with a move to Leeds United in February, has garnered attention for his impressive performances in the Russian Premier League in the last couple of seasons.

Whilst a key man for Krasnodar in Russia, it would be a surprise if the 24-year-old Stavropol-born attacking midfielder wasn’t keen on a move away from the country with Russia’s continued exile from UEFA competition.

Spertsyan came through the academy at Krasnodar and played for their third team and second team before making a first-team debut for the Bulls at the back end of the 2020/21 campaign, and he has established himself as a key man since then.

After hitting eight goals in 25 league games in the 2021/22 season, he has gone on to score double figures in each of the last three seasons, notching ten goals and providing five assists in 26 Premier Liga matches during this campaign.

Internationally, he earned his first Armenia cap in 2021 and has gone on to become the star man for former Ajax boss John van ‘t Schip’s side with six goals in 32 appearances for his national side, replacing Henrikh Mkhitaryan as the fulcrum of their attack when the former Manchester United midfielder retired from international duty in 2021.

The rebuild at Leicester

As well as a new manager and the imminent departure of Vardy, Leicester also have several other players linked with moves away, as Caleb Okoli and Wout Faes are the subject of interest from overseas, whilst Chelsea have been linked with a move for young centre-back Ben Nelson.

El Khannouss has provided a spark on occasion at the King Power Stadium and the flashes of quality that he has shown, which have become more common and consistent of late, would make him standout as a top-level player for the Championship.

There is a feeling of inevitability that the 21-year-old will depart this summer but that £22 million release clause could be invested wisely across the squad and certainly by unearthing a potential gem for English football in Spertsyan.