The latest Leicester City news as the full-back is reported to be a ‘priority’ for one of his former clubs.
Harry Souttar, Jannik Vestergaard, Ricardo Pereira cheer to fans after the preseason friendly soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City was cancelled due to the unplayable pitch
Leicester city full-back Ricardo Pereira is being targeted by OGC Nice in the summer transfer window, according to reports in France.
The Portuguese international has endured some injury-hit seasons in recent campaigns. Last pre-season saw the defender suffer an Achilles rupture in the final friendly before the start of the season.
That injury came just over two years after he suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in the final game before the Covid-19 lockdown. Ricardo made his comeback from the injury in February and went on to make 10 Premier League appearances last season.
The 29-year-old has so far played a crucial role in pre-season under Enzo Maresca, by playing the inverted full-back role. When in possession, Ricardo moves into midfield to add to the numbers in that area of the pitch.
Moving further forward allowed the full-back to get on the scoresheet in the first pre-season game against Peterborough. The defender played the same role against Northampton and was due to start in the role again against Tottenham on Sunday in Thailand, but the game was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.
Ricardo has now been linked with a move away from the King Power Stadium. Foot Mercato report that Nice have made the full-back ‘a priority’ this summer. Any potential move will see him link up with former City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
It is though added that the club are ‘trying’ for a loan deal from City, something which is unlikely to intertest the club, given the importance Ricardo could have in the upcoming season. The report also adds that City ‘would like to sell’ the player this season, although signs during pre-season point towards that not being the case.
Ricardo has been prominent in pre-season games as well as kit launches for the new season. Speaking at the start of pre-season, the full-back spoke of his happiness and looking ahead to the new season.
“It’s always different when you have a new manager. They have different ideas, different things they want the team to do. But I’m really happy and I’m enjoying this first couple of days,” he told the club’s official website .
“Of course, we cannot forget what happened [last season]. We have to learn from it, but it’s a new page today. We start from zero and keep going.”
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