Leicester City defender Caglar Suyuncu has raised eyebrows this season. The 24-year-old has played a great part in The Foxes’ wonderful season, with his side placed third in the Premier League before Coronavirus halted football. Soyuncu has been magnificent; he has managed to warrant interest from some of the world’s top clubs. Among these is Spanish supergiants FC Barcelona.
Last summer, Harry Maguire joined Manchester United for a hefty £80M fee. He was an irreplaceable asset to Leicester. Or so we thought. The gap that the 27-year-old left at centre back was instantly filled by the Turkey international, Soyuncu. He was trusted with 28 league starts this season, with displays that have exceeded fans’ expectations. With Maguire at the heart of the defence, Brendan Rogers’ side did not come close to European football. However, Soyuncu’s reliability has pushed the Midlands club on the brink of Champions League qualification.
Soyuncu was signed from German club Freiburg for £19M in 2018. He has impressed so much, that a new contract was allegedly offered to him towards the start of the year. Despite this, the player’s agent Mustafa Dogru asserted that Barcelona has been interested in signing Soyuncu since he was at his boyhood team, Altinordu. Dogru’s claims could be a decoy so that it helps his client get a higher wage at Leicester. However, if this is the truth, Blaugrana would be signing a fabulous player.
Dogru said: “It is possible Caglar can go to play for Barcelona this summer.
“Barca already wanted to sign him when he played for Altinordu.
“We negotiated with them and they presented a project, but we thought that he should go to a team where he would be a permanent starter for him to develop properly. For this reason, we decided to accept the Freiburg proposal.
“I think only Liverpool have the power to sign Caglar in the Premier League because of his economic conditions, but we must not forget French teams. PSG could be a surprise.”
With hints at different clubs Soyuncu could transfer to, it seems increasingly likely that he won’t remain at the King Power Stadium for next season.
However, his contract expires in 2023 and last month the Leicester star said he was not planning to move away from the club because he has a goal of reaching 100 appearances with The Foxes.
Soyuncu stated: “I don’t think it would be right to go somewhere right now. I’m having a good season. Above all, I still have a lot to learn.
“He [Harry Maguire] is the most expensive defender in the world and your team does not buy another because it trusts you.
“You play instead of someone who transferred for £80m. We’re going well now, but the important thing is to keep it going.
“I played 30 matches, but it’s important to increase this to a three-digit number. It is very important to be at the same level throughout your career.”
Onder Ozen, a beIN Sports Turkey Commentator, has confirmed that the defender is a target for Barcelona ahead of the summer window.
Ozen said: “This is the second time I saw this news. And I am hearing from certain people too. I think this transfer is getting serious.
“We all know that Barcelona are looking to sign a player who can be the long-term replacement for Gerard Pique. I don’t think Caglar and Pique are similar, however, he could still fit the playing style very well there.”
Leicester fans should not panic that their ace is linked with a move away, because the player himself said that he wants to stay. But these rumours aren’t going away, and – you never know – he may be doing a medical at the Camp Nou soon. Football can change rapidly.
