Leicester City closing on £21m transfer of South American winger

Leicester City are on the verge of signing Yaser Asprilla from Watford, according to reports.

The Colombian forward arrived at Watford from Envigado — the same club that produced Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran — in the summer of 2022 and particularly caught the eye last season, with six goals and seven assists in 44 Championship appearances.

Asprilla — who already has two goals in six caps for his country at just 20 years old — has entered the final year of his contract.

Given his form in the second tier last season, coupled with his exploits for Colombia so far and young age, it’s unsurprising to see a number of clubs making an approach for Asprilla this summer.

French side Rennes are thought to have made an approach for Asprilla but, according to Foot Mercato journalist Sebastien Denis, it’s Leicester City who have won the race for his signature.

?#Srfc ???

??malgré une approche concrète du Stade Rennais pour le jeune ailier colombien de Watford Yasser Asprilla, le joueur est en route pour Leicester

??son agent est en Angleterre pour négocier un deal qui pourrait atteindre les 25 M€ pic.twitter.com/2QBPU5tj1m

— Sébastien Denis (@sebnonda) August 3, 2024

Asprilla on the verge of Leicester City move

Denis’ report states that Asprilla is ‘on his way’ to Leicester, with the player’s agent already in England negotiating a deal which could reach €25m (£21.3m).

Leicester’s hunt for attacking reinforcements ahead of their return to the Premier League has been no secret this summer. The 2023/24 Championship winners lost out in the race for Argentine talent Matias Soule, who opted to swap Juventus for Roma.

A left-footed winger who operates from the right, Asprilla would compete with new arrivals Issahaku Fatawu and Bobby De Cordova-Reid for a starting berth in Steve Cooper’s side should he seal his King Power Stadium switch.