KEY POINTS

  • Leicester City is allegedly leading the race for Odsonne Edouard
  • Arsenal may suffer another setback if the Gunners lose the chase for Edouard
  • Edouard could give players like Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho a friendly competition

The chase for French footballer Odsonne Edouard is heating up, and there are now at least two clubs hot on his tail.

Arsenal was previously mentioned as the potential landing spot of the 23-year-old striker, but it appears Leicester City has taken the lead to acquire his services.

The interest in Edouard is hardly surprising. The French striker had 37 league goals with Celtic FC in the last two seasons, enough to give the Foxes some added help.

If Leicester City completes the deal, Edouard will give Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho some friendly competition in Brendan Rogers’ starting XI.

If not viewed in that way, Edouard could see himself as Vardy’s successor in the long run.

But all that may depend on how smooth transactions will be. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Foxes are working to complete a deal for the Frenchman.

It was in January when Edouard hinted that he was looking to make the jump to one of the top European Leagues, Sky Sports reported.

His contract will expire in 2022, but it appears he will not wait for that if a deal can be closed.

He stands to be a good addition and possibly thrive alongside other players such as James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Harvey Barnes.

It also makes sense for Edouard to join the Foxes. He worked with Rodgers for 18 months, a time where he flourished after scoring 74 times in 139 appearances.

Moreover, Edouard was part of the French team at the U-21 European Championships that got nicked out by the Netherlands in the semi-finals.

Odsonne Edouard of Celtic
Odsonne Edouard of Celtic Getty Images | Catherine Ivill

While that should be good news for Leicester City, it would be another big blow on the part of the Gunners. Arsenal fell short in their pursuit of Emi Buendia to Aston Villa.

As mentioned in a previous post, the Gunners have set their sights on Ruben Neves instead.

Arsenal has already touched base with Wolverhampton for the services of the 24-year-old.

But the catch here is that the Gunners need to meet the asking fee of the Wanderers, which is pegged to be at almost $50 million.

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