According to reports in his home Brazil, Leicester City is close to signing centre-back Lucas Beraldo.
City have been linked with a move for the highly regarded 20-year-old in recent weeks. However, they are said to face competition from Liverpool and other clubs.
Sao Paulo are reportedly eager to sell the player in January in order to bolster their finances before the end of the year. According to reports, Zenit St Petersburg offered the club €18 million (£15.5 million), while the club is seeking €20 million (£17.2 million).
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Jorge Nicola, a Brazilian journalist, has now provided an update on the player’s future via his YouTube channel. According to SportWitness, he reports that City and Zenit are still vying for the defender, but the player has already’spoken to authorities’ at Leicester and told them that he wants to play in the Premier League and prefers a move to City.
While City are currently in the Championship, they appear to be on track to return to the Premier League at the end of the season. They are currently 10 points ahead of third-placed Leeds United and have the opportunity to widen that advantage when they face Birmingham City tonight (Monday).
According to the source, City are prepared to ‘outbid’ Zenit for the player, and a deal may be completed ‘before the end of the year,’ providing a significant boost to Enzo Maresca’s side. Beraldo is most at ease on the left side of defense and appears to match Maresca’s approach of playing out from the back.
If a deal is finalized, it will be a coup for City, given that Liverpool has been linked. According to TuttoJuve in Italy, the Reds, along with Arsenal and Juventus, are interested in the defender ahead of the January transfer season.
