Five transfers Leicester City can complete this week after striker green light
· Josh Holland · 2026-08-03 · nguồn gốc
Five transfers Leicester City can complete this week after Russell Martin striker green light
Leicester City could be set for another busy week in the transfer market after adding two faces to their squad
Leicester City have already signed five players this summer after Liam Cullen and Tommy Watson arrived from Swansea City and Brighton. With competitive football back this week, more deals could be completed this week to further mould Russell Martin's squad.
Cullen signed for an undisclosed fee from boyhood club Swansea, reuniting with Martin at the King Power Stadium. The Wales international played in his new colours for the first time on Saturday against Genoa and made an encouraging first impression.
Watson's season-long loan move from Brighton was confirmed just before the Genoa game, with the 19-year-old in attendance. The former Sunderland forward strengthens City's left-wing options ahead of the new season.
Clubs are in a rush to get their squads in check before the League One opener next week, but this weekend's Carabao Cup clash against Northampton Town is the first competitive game. For Leicester, Martin has confirmed the squad will look different by the time the Cobblers travel to LE2.
Here are five deals, both incoming and outgoing, that could move forward this week..
FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK! All the latest Leicester City news on LeicestershireLive’s Leicester City Facebook page! Get LeicestershireLIVE Premium now for just £1 HERE. You can also join our WhatsApp Community by clicking HERE
Admir Bristrić
Bristrić's name has come out of nowhere in the past 24 hours and it's one that appears to be progressing quickly. The 23-year-old striker is wanted by City, as LeicestershireLive reported on Sunday, and he is due to travel to England for his medical this week after being absent from Olimpija Ljubljana's 1-0 win over Aluminij.
Slovenian side Ekipa claimed that Bristrić's proposed move to Leicester is worth around €1.7m-€2m (£1.4m-£1.7m). Last season, he scored 13 goals during a loan spell with NK Bravo and has been compared to Edin Dzeko.
Martin has been adamant that a new striker will come to City this summer and after Cullen appeared to play behind the No.9 in his first outing, we could see two new centre-forwards arrive. If everything progresses as expected, Bristrić's move will be completed in time for the cup game.
John Souttar
Reports have linked Rangers centre-back Souttar to the King Power Stadium for some time this summer and the recent update suggested the Foxes and Swansea City were in 'pole position' to sign him.
Souttar, the brother of Harry, is expected to leave Ibrox before the window closes and an imminent move appeared to edge closer on Friday when he was left out of Rangers' opening league match at Dundee United.
Rangers boss Derek McInnes confirmed the 29-year-old has been training and an exit for regular football is a possibility. City boss Martin worked with Souttar during his brief time in Scotland and centre-back is expected to become a priority.
Harry Souttar
One exit that will push the defence to the top of James McCarron's transfer priority list is City's current Souttar. The big defender has been involved in pre-season since returning from the World Cup and is well-liked by Martin.
Souttar captained Leicester in the 1-0 defeat to Coventry City behind-closed-doors on Saturday despite continued interest from Sheffield United. Chris Wilder has confirmed he wants to re-sign Souttar this summer, but Martin has dismissed any talk that a move is close.
In a dream world, if Leicester manage to keep Souttar, they will have a dominant presence at the back in League One. But if they get close to their £10m valuation, it will prove to be a good piece of business for a defender with a track record of injuries.
Dom Ballard
Many believe Ballard is the dream signing for Leicester this summer. Even if Bristrić signs, City are likely to, or should be, looking to partner him with another striker. Signing a striker from Slovenia and expecting him to lead the line and fire Leicester to promotion on his own is a risky game.
Ballard has been linked with the Foxes all summer and has interest from the Championship, yet somehow is still at Leyton Orient. He was left on the bench in Orient's 2-1 win over Royal Antwerp on Sunday, but Richie Wellens confirmed he picked up an injury in the warm-up.
Valued at around £5m, Ballard is a proven goalscorer at this level. He scored 23 League One goals in a side that escaped relegation on the final day. If he comes to LE2 and replicates that figure, City would have a striker capable of making the difference in a promotion push.
Ollie Cooper
This is perhaps the wildcard option and is purely on this list after putting two and two together. When Leicester's move for Cullen came to light, it was reported that the forward isn't the only former Swansea player Martin wanted to bring to the club.
Days later, Swansea boss Vitor Matos confirmed that attacking midfielder Ollie Cooper was set to leave on loan. Our sister title, WalesOnline, have reported that his next destination is likely to be in League One.
The 26-year-old, who was born in Derby, played 44 times under Martin in the 2022/23 season. The possible issue is that he is an attacking midfielder, a position they have strengthened with Cullen and Conor Chaplin, with Sammy Braybrooke and Louis Page also strong options.