Leicester City’s playmaker is a highly sought-after player as the January transfer window approaches, with the latest reports linking Wout Faes to a move to Serie A side Atalanta.
Under the management of Enzo Maresca, the Foxes have been exceptional this season, strengthening their position at the top of the Championship due to Ipswich Town’s recent four-game winless streak.
Leicester has already accumulated 62 points, averaging an impressive 2.48 points per game. Additionally, Maresca’s squad currently enjoys an eight-point lead at the top of the table, boasting the best offense and defense in England’s second tier.
However, Leicester might face a setback in January as reports from Tuttomercatoweb, via Football League World, suggest that Italian side Atalanta is eager to secure star defender Wout Faes. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is keen to strengthen his backline for the second half of the campaign.
Atalanta, currently sixth in Italy’s top-flight and four points off fourth place, is making a strong push for qualification to the UEFA Champions League for the first time in three seasons, with Faes potentially playing a crucial role in this pursuit.
Having joined the King Power Stadium at the start of the 2022/23 season for £15 million from French outfit Reims, the Belgian defender swiftly became a key player for the former Premier League champions. Now, Faes could be on the move in the upcoming weeks.
TuttoMercatoWeb also reports that Leicester will seek at least £15 million from any sale of Faes, aiming to break even on his transfer. Faes has been a pivotal part of Maresca’s backline, playing 2,155 minutes for Leicester City this season across 24 appearances in all competitions, including 22 in the Championship.
In the event of Faes’ departure in January, the club will need to find a suitable replacement and has been linked with a move for Nottingham Forest defender Joe Worrall in recent weeks, a speculation that has subsided since the captain’s return to the squad under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
