Adrien Silva has been given permission to leave the Portugal squad amid reports that Leicester City are keen to sign him.
The former Premier League champions are said to be considering options to replace Danny Drinkwater, who has been heavily linked with a switch to Chelsea.
According to FourFourTwo, manager Craig Shakespeare has outlined Sporting Lisbon's Silva as the man to come into the fold if Drinkwater is sold in the last few hours of the transfer window.
Speculation has been fuelled by the confirmation that Silva has been given the green light to leave Portugal duty for the rest of the day.
A statement from the Portuguese Football Federation read: "[Head coach] Fernando Santos and the FPF have authorised the player Adrien Silva to absent himself from the national team until Friday."
The 28-year-old, who won Euro 2016 with his nation, could cost the Foxes around £22m.
Danielle Joynson
