Transfer links to Spanish winger could spell the end for Leicester City player: View | OneFootball

The summer signing of Yunus Akgün by Leicester City has not gone exactly as planned, and the winger may not remain at the King Power Stadium beyond his initial loan spell at the club.

The winger joined the club from Turkish side Galatasaray in the summer on a loan deal, following the Foxes' relegation from the Premier League.

The move saw him join the club until the end of the season, with an obligation to buy the player for £8.5 million if he made 25 appearances for his new club.

However, his spell in England has done little to encourage Enzo Maresca to fork out the money to spend on the forward. He has played 18 matches in all competitions so far, with only five of those being starts in the Championship.

The forward does rank among the top 5% of players for pass accuracy and long ball accuracy per 90 minutes in the league. However, this is not enough to earn him more time on the pitch, and his statistics are from a very small sample size.

He has struggled for minutes at the King Power Stadium and has not impressed in the minutes he has been given. With just one goal and one assist, both in games where the contributions would not have affected the result, he has surely not done enough to convince the Foxes to retain him for another year.

It is likely that the winger will go back to Galatasaray once his loan deal is over, with the Foxes already linked with a replacement they could move for in the summer.

With Akgün failing to impress at the King Power Stadium, Leicester could be set to move for Athletic Bilbao winger Alex Berenguer for a summer transfer, with the Foxes being linked with a free transfer in the summer.

Berenguer has performed admirably for Bilbao so far this season, with the 28-year-old bagging four goals and one assist, despite starting only seven times in La Liga, with 0.44 goals per 90 minutes, putting him among the top 15% of players in the division.

With the ability to play all across the front three, the forward is a versatile player who could provide valuable cover next year for Leicester.

However, the move could prove a costly one for the Foxes. Due to Bilbao's policy of only signing players from the Basque County, when they do find a top player among their limited population, they usually do whatever they can to keep him.

This means that Leicester may need to offer a bumper deal for the winger. With him currently earning an estimated £27,000 per week, they will need to outbid not only Bilbao, but a host of other Premier League clubs who have also been linked to the forward.

The player is, though, out of contract in the summer, so the Foxes will at least not have to pay a large transfer fee to secure his signature.

With Leicester looking like the favourites to be promoted to the Premier League, the addition of a winger with experience in the top level of Spanish football would go a long way to helping them stay in the top division in England.

However, by signing Berenguer, they are likely ending any chance of Akgün remaining at the club beyond this current season.

What could be next for Akgün

It is unlikely Leicester will want to keep a player who has not even performed well in the Championship, and rely on them to remain in the top division.

The Foxes already have a number of wingers impressing this season. Kasey McAteer, Stephy Mavididi and Issahaku Fatawu have all contributed to the team reaching the top of the Championship, and are much more favoured by Enzo Maresca than the on-loan Akgün.

With the addition of an experienced forward like Berenguer, it will only further take away opportunities for Akgün to get time on the pitch, and the club are not likely to pay millions of pounds for a player who is unlikely to play next year.

The 23-year-old will likely not be kept at the club, even if Berenguer chooses not to join Leicester. With the addition of the incredible amount of money Premier League clubs are receiving for their TV rights, it is more likely that the Foxes would look to spend it on players who have proven they can add goals and assists to their team.

Staying in the league will be their top priority, and risking it all on a player like Akgün seems like something Maresca will be looking to avoid. Due to the clause in his loan move, it is unlikely he will make many more appearances for the club this season, lest the Foxes have to pay millions for the seemingly unwanted man.