So far, the 2023/24 season appears to have been a pleasant one for Leicester City supporters.
The Foxes have made an excellent start to life in the Championship after being relegated from the Premier League at the end of the previous season.
The club has 46 points from 19 league games under new manager Enzo Maresca, putting them top of the Championship table and eight points clear of the play-off places.
As a result, those associated with the club will no doubt be hoping for an immediate return to the top flight of English football in the coming months.
However, one player at Leicester who has struggled so far this season is Harry Souttar.
What happened to Souttar this season at Leicester?
Souttar joined Leicester in the January transfer window, signing from Stoke City on a contract until the end of the 2027/28 season for an initial fee of £15 million.
The centre back then played 12 Premier League games for the club in the second half of last season, but was unable to prevent the club’s relegation to the Championship.
This season, however, Souttar has found opportunities at The King Power Stadium much more difficult to come by under Maresca’s management.
The 25-year-old has made just one Championship appearance for the club since the start of the season, a 2-0 win over his former club Stoke in early October.
Despite this, Souttar has dismissed any notion of looking for a move elsewhere in January in order to secure more regular senior football.
During a recent international break with Australia, the defender revealed that he has made it clear to Maresca that he wants to stay at Leicester and fight for a place in the starting XI.
However, it appears that the latest transfer claims to emerge surrounding Leicester City in the run-up to January do not bode well for Souttar and his hopes of forcing his way back into the Foxes side.
What does the latest Leicester transfer rumour have to do with Souttar?
According to Brazilian outlet UOL, Leicester are preparing a bid for Sao Paulo centre back Lucas Beraldo, who is also being pursued by Chelsea, Wolves, and Brentford.
The Foxes are said to be willing to pay a fee in the region of €20 million for the 20-year-old’s services, which is bad news for Souttar.
The fact that Leicester are willing to pay such a large fee for Beraldo, despite the fact that he is attracting so much interest from other big clubs, does seem to indicate his potential and ability.
As a result, you have the impression that if the Foxes are successful in bringing the Brazilian to The King Power Stadium in the near future, he will be a regular presence in their backline, not least to ensure a return on their investment in him.
As a result, Souttar will almost certainly fall even further down Maresca’s defensive pecking order.
Indeed, with Beraldo still only 20 years old, he clearly has the majority of his career ahead of him, implying that this could be a long-term challenge for Souttar as he attempts to force his way back into Maresca’s lineup.
Beyond that, it could be argued that even if Leicester are unsuccessful in their pursuit of Beraldo, the fact that they are looking for a centre back indicates that this is a position they want to strengthen in January, even if it is not with the 20-year-old.
This could imply that, despite Souttar’s determination to reclaim his starting spot for Leicester, Maresca and others at the club are still not convinced he is the best option for them to turn to in that position.
As a result, whether Beraldo signs or not, it appears that the Australian international’s chances of regaining his place in Maresca’s squad are not looking promising at the moment.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if the latest transfer rumours cause Souttar to reconsider his future with Leicester City.
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