‘CITY WANT RANGERS DEFENDER’
FOXES AND VILLA COULD BATTLE IT OUT FOR SWEDISH CENTRE-HALF
LEICESTER City have been linked with a summer move for Rangers defender Filip Helander.
The 27-year-old, right, is said to be catching the eye of Premier League teams ahead of the upcoming transfer window, including the Foxes.
Aston Villa are also said to be among Helander’s admirers, with reports in the Swede’s homeland suggesting Rangers are already lining up a potential replacement.
Sportbladet claim the top-flight duo are “interested” in the centre-back, who has been in good form during his side’s title-winning season.
Helander has two years left to run on his contract, and the report claims Rangers “want to get paid really well” for the player as they seek a “favourable” financial deal.
It is claimed Steven Gerrard’s side are looking at Elfsborg’s Joseph Okumu as a potential replacement, should Helander move on at the end of the campaign.
The Sweden international is currently on duty for his country and helped them to a 1-0 victory over Georgia in their World Cup qualification clash on Thursday night.
National team manager Janne Andersson said: “Filip
Helander is doing well. He wins duels and is quite stable.”
Gerrard said of Helander: “Positionally, he is outstanding.
“You can see that he has been coached in Italy and has been around Italian coaches. He gets blocks in, important blocks, and positionally he is always spot-on.”
Helander has made 27 appearances for Rangers this season and scored three goals.
The defender made the move to Ibrox in the summer of 2019 from Bologna, and also counts Verona and Malmo as his former clubs.
Leicester could look to make a move for a centre-back in the summer with club captain Wes Morgan turning 37 in January.
Jonny Evans celebrated his 33rd birthday in the new year while Wesley Fofana and Caglar Soyuncu are 20 and 24 respectively. Kristoffer Ajer, of Celtic, has been heavily linked with a move to City but Brendan Rodgers, left, has not acted on reported interest to reunite with his former Parkhead defender.