Leicester City are reportedly keen to sign Callum Doyle on a permanent transfer from Manchester City this summer.
The current Championship leaders have had Doyle on loan since the start of the season, and the 20-year-old has had a frustrating spell at the King Power Stadium.
Doye started the season really well, starting the first eight Championship games for the Foxex.
But in that eighth game, Doyle sustained an injury that would put him on the sidelines for just over three months.
Doyle made his return to action on New Year’s Day, playing for 10 minutes against Huddersfield Town. He then played a full 90 minutes against Millwall in the FA Cup.
Leicester fans have not been able to see too much of him so far, but the club apparently still want to sign Doyle permanently from City this summer…
Leicester eyeing permanent deal for Manchester City starlet Callum Doyle
The Athletic have reported today that Leicester have four loanees right now and they want to make two of those permanent.
Doyle – who signed a new contract at the Etihad last year – is one of those, the other being Abdul Fatawu. The jury is still out on the other two, Yunus Akgun and Cesare Casadei.
Doyle, who has previously had loan spells with Sunderland and Coventry City, is just on a straight season-long loan at the King Power, with Leicester having no option to buy the youngster.
Negotiations will therefore need to take place, and it remains to be seen how much City will demand.
It is little surprise that Leicester are keen to land Doyle permanently, given Enzo Maresca is the head coach there – Doyle won the U23s Premier League title with him, after all.
Doyle could make City a pretty penny
City have had big success in recent years selling academy players and Doyle could very well be another top talent to make the club some good money.
Certainly, if Leicester achieve promotion back to the Premier League, then that’s going to allow City to demand more money from the Foxes.
There is, of course, always the possibility that Pep Guardiola might fancy integrating Doyle – who’s been described as a ‘classy Rolls Royce of a player’ – into the first-team, but there are two top left-sided options in Nathan Ake and Josko Gvardiol so it would be difficult for him.
We’ll see what happens, but for now it looks as though City are in line to make a pure profit on another academy star.
