Yohan Benalouane has completed a £5.6m move from Atalanta |
NEW Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri last night made an £11m double swoop to make N'Golo Kante and Yohan Benalouane his first signings.
The deals have cost the Foxes £5.6m apiece, with the duo both agreeing four-year deals.
French midfielder Kante has joined from Ligue 1 side Caen, while Tunisia centre-back Benalouane arrives from Atalanta.
N'Golo Kante has signed from Ligue 1 side Caen on a four-year-deal |
The two deals remain subject to international clearance and Premier League and FA approval - which the Foxes hope to receive ahead of Saturday's Premier League curtain-raiser at home to Sunderland.
Kante's arrival comes as a welcome boost to the Foxes' midfield options as they prepare for life without veteran star Esteban Cambiasso, who has turned down a new contract.
The 24-year-old was a mainstay of the Caen midfield last term, making 37 appearances and scoring twice.
Benalouane, meanwhile, was a former France Under-21 international before switching his allegiances to Tunisia, with his former clubs including French side Saint-Etienne and Italian club Parma.
The duo take the Foxes' list of summer arrivals to five - following on from the previous additions of Robert Huth, Christian Fuchs and Shinji Okazaki.
But they are the first to come through the door under the watch of Ranieri, who succeeded Nigel Pearson as boss last month.
However, a move for Chile midfielder Charles Aranguiz, who is at Brazilian club Internacional, looks to be slipping away.
German side Bayer Leverkusen have now moved to the front of the queue for the £10.5m star, despite the fact Leicester have offered more.
"The club president told me there's a bid from Leicester and it's good for the club," said Aranguiz. "But for me, Leverkusen is a bigger team. I want to go."
Meanwhile, Huth expects the Foxes to keep it tight at the back this term under Ranieri, who gave the centre-back his debut at Chelsea in 2002.
The German defender said: "He's slightly different in that he likes to set up a little more defensively and start with a clean sheets.
"That's something we're keen to do - stay solid - and maybe score a few more goals.
"The way we finished last season was tremendous and we'll try to keep it tight at the back and score a few more goals up front."
Post a Comment Blogger Facebook Disqus