Who is Ilari Kangasniemi? six ft six in ex-Inter Milan centre-back ‘set to join’ Leicester City | OneFootball

Leicester City are closing in on 19-year-old centre-back Ilari Kangasniemi, according to Yle Urheila. Russell Martin has hinted a defender could arrive before Tuesday’s Carabao Cup trip to Ipswich Town.

He is set to travel to England on Monday for a medical, and a €2.5m (£2.1m) deal would set a new transfer record in Finland if completed, eclipsing Teemu Pukki’s 2011 move to Schalke.

The six ft six in defender, the same height as Harry Souttar, drew interest all summer. Inter Turku rejected an offer worth over €1.5m (£1.2m) in July, and he has started 14 of their 21 league matches this season.

He scored in March’s LiigaCup final win over AC Oulu and has helped Inter past FK Sarajevo, Basaksehir and FC Vaduz in Europe. They now face FC Copenhagen in the play-off, having drawn 0-0 in last week’s first leg with Kangasniemi involved.

Kangasniemi came through SJK Seinajoki, then joined Inter Milan’s academy and made two UEFA Youth League appearances in 2024. He returned to Finland last summer on a three-year Inter Turku deal, playing 32 times and scoring four goals. In 2026 he has completed 89.6% of his passes and made 1,297 touches, ranking in the top 12% in the Veikkausliiga.

Leicester’s need is pressing after Ben Nelson’s ACL injury and Jannik Vestergaard’s exit. Caleb Okoli and Souttar have started the first three games, while both have been linked with moves. Wout Faes has not featured amid speculation over his future.

Source: LeicesterMercury.co.uk

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”