Leicester City would dodge a bullet by not signing this 24-year-old midfielder – Agreed?

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Rohan Sengupta

Why Leicester City should avoid signing Ozan Tufan in the summer

According to Turkish outlet Fotospor (h/t the Leicester Mercury), Leicester City and Crystal Palace are scouting Fenerbahce midfielder Ozan Tufan.

Ozan Tufan, 24, joined Turkish side Bursaspor in 2005 at the age of ten and spent eight years with the club’s academy before he was handed his first-team debut. At the age of 18, he made his Super Lig debut and would go on to rack up 42 top-flight appearances for the club.

The following summer, the midfielder joined Fenerbahce and has since made 89 appearances for the club. Tufan enjoyed a brief loan spell with Alanyaspor. So far this season, he has played 21 Super Lig games, racking up two goals and four assists. The report (h/t the Leicester Mercury) adds Fenerbahce are aware of the interest being shown in the Turkey international and have set a €20m valuation.

Ozan Tufan (L) of Fenerbahce in action against Kamal ?ssah (R) of Genclerbirligi during Turkcell Super Lig soccer match between Genclerbirligi and Fenerbahce at 19 May?s Stadium in Ankara, Turkey on August 27, 2017. (Getty Images)
Ozan Tufan (L) of Fenerbahce in action against Kamal ?ssah (R) of Genclerbirligi during Turkcell Super Lig soccer match between Genclerbirligi and Fenerbahce at 19 May?s Stadium in Ankara, Turkey on August 27, 2017. (Getty Images)

Leicester City meanwhile, enjoyed an incredible start to the Premier League campaign but lost their way in between after a few poor results in December and January. Despite that, they are sitting third in the table, two points behind second-placed Manchester City.

The Foxes have impressed under Brendan Rodgers, especially with attacking players like Jamie Vardy, Ayoze Perez, Harvey Barnes, James Maddison and Youri Tielemans linking up extremely well and guiding them to numerous victories. Kelechi Iheanacho has also come alive since the last month or so, with the Nigerian bagging three goals and as many assists in nine league games.

Moving to midfield, Leicester look well-stocked in that department. In Wilfred Ndidi, Hamza Choudhury, Dennis Praet, Nampalys Mendy, James Maddison, Youri Tielemans, Daniel Amartey and Matty James, Rodgers has an array of midfield options to choose from. So, it is an area the Foxes don’t really need to reinforce in the summer as Rodgers can rely upon the players he has at his disposal.

Caglar Soyuncu of Leicester City shakes hands with Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Leicester City during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Newcastle United at The King Power Stadium on September 29, 2019 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Getty Images)
Caglar Soyuncu of Leicester City shakes hands with Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Leicester City during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Newcastle United at The King Power Stadium on September 29, 2019 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Getty Images)

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Having said that, the Foxes must avoid signing Ozan Tufan. He is one of the highly-rated midfielders in Turkish football and has enhanced his reputation further with a series of eye-catching displays for Fenerbahce. He has also represented the Turkey national team 47 times, scoring five goals.

Verdict

Tufan is a quality player and has solid international pedigree as well but he would be surplus to requirements at Leicester. Considering purely on the Foxes’ current midfield options, Rodgers should stay away from the Turkish midfielder.