Leicester hold talks with Lyon loanee Tete over January transfer

Leicester City have spoken with the representatives of Lyon loanee Tete over a possible move to the King Power Stadium this month, 90min understands.

Tete, who is currently on loan in France from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, has impressed during his time with Lyon to the tune of six goals and five assists in 19 games, but manager Laurent Blanc is understood to be keen to move the team in a different direction and is prepared to cut ties with Tete early.

90min revealed in December that the 22-year-old Brazilian had been offered around the Premier League. West Ham, Tottenham, Newcastle and Arsenal were all contacted and the Hammers even explored a deal, only to eventually decide against it.

Now, sources have confirmed that Leicester have spoken with Tete’s representatives over a deal as part of their ongoing search for a new winger.

The Foxes had chased Fiorentina’s Nicolas Gonzalez but were unable to agree a deal, with the director of the Serie A side coming out publicly to insist the 24-year-old was not for sale.

As a result, Leicester have been searching for alternatives and a viable option is Tete, who is expected to leave Lyon before the end of the January transfer window and has already been cleared for an exit by Blanc.

Lyon do have Tete under contract until the end of 2023 and so must agree to terminate the loan, which is not expected to be a problem, while any suitor would also have to strike another agreement with Shakhtar over either a temporary or a permanent move.