Leicester City head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed that he wants to sign Inter Milan midfielder Stefano Sensi before the end of the January transfer window.
The 28-year-old was once regarded as a key man at San Siro, but he has been restricted to just four substitute outings during the 2023-24 campaign.
With the playmaker's contract due to expire in the summer, Inter have no interest in a renewal and are ready to accept a cut-price fee, a scenario that interests Leicester.
On Friday, Maresca confirmed that he wanted to bring his Italian compatriot to the Championship leaders, albeit only after at least one exit has been facilitated.
Speaking to reporters, Maresca said: "It's the kind of player I really like. But in this moment, we are not allowed to do anything, so we'll see what happens knowing that January is just one month and players are sometimes not able to wait all of the month."
Ahead of their trip to Coventry City on Saturday, Leicester hold a 13-point advantage in their bid to earn an immediate return to the Premier League.
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Across the Midlands, Aston Villa are allegedly receiving interest in left-back Lucas Digne from Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal.
The left-back has been a key man for Unai Emery this campaign, making a total of 23 starts and three substitute outings in all competitions.
Villa have no interest in cashing in on the France international as they bid to challenge for the Premier League title, FA Cup and Europa Conference trophy.
However, according to L'Equipe, the 30-year-old is on the radar of Al-Hilal as they bid to strengthen their efforts to win their own league title.
The league leaders are allegedly trying to negotiate a loan with option to buy, a result of Digne still having two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract.
Although an approach is expected to be rejected, Villa would only contemplate an exit for Digne if they were able to sign a suitable alternative, something that would not be an easy task at the midway point of the season.
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Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid are reportedly contemplating whether to make a bid to sign Atlanta United playmaker Thiago Almada.
The 22-year-old is one of the stars of MLS, contributing a total of 12 goals and 16 assists from his 33 appearances during the 2023 campaign.
While Atlanta will want to see the Argentine spend at least one more season at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims that Atletico are big admirers of Almada.
With Angel Correa attracting attention from Saudi Arabia, it is plausible that the La Liga giants may need to act to secure a replacement for the attacker.
Almada is said to feature highly on Atletico's shortlist, but an approach will only be made if a substantial sum is generated from the sale of his Argentine compatriot, a result of Atletico's FFP situation.
Darren Plant
