According to the Mirror, the agent of Leicester star Caglar Soyuncu has hinted that the Turkish stalwart could join Barcelona ‘this summer’.
Mustafa Dogru, who represents the 23-year-old, added that the Catalan outfit made a proposal to the aggressive centre-back whilst he was still at Turkish side Altinordu.
Ultimately, it was decided that the ace would benefit from a team that would offer him first-team football right away in Freiburg, this proved to be a good choice as he was snapped up by Leicester just two years later for a fee of £19m, as per the Mirror.
The Mirror add that Soyuncu’s contract expires in 2023, with the Foxes opening new contract talks with the Turkey international earlier this year.
Here’s what Dogru had to say on Soyuncu’s future:
“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.”
Soyuncu said that he wouldn’t like to leave right now as he’s eyeing 100 appearances for the Foxes:
“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.”
Soyuncu been superb for Brendan Rodgers’ side this season, Leicester put their faith in Soyuncu after Harry Maguire left for Manchester United for a massive fee of £80m.
The Foxes have defied the odds this season with some fine displays leaving the side third in the Premier League, with the Midlands outfit looking set to secure Champions League qualification.
It’s arguable that Soyuncu’s even better than Maguire ever was for the Foxes after a dominant season, supporters will be hoping to keep hold of the ace for many years to come.
Barcelona seem to be in need of reinforcements at centre-back with Gerard Pique the only guaranteed starter due to Clement Lenglet’s slight drop in form and Samuel Umtiti’s injury struggles.
The Blaugrana need an addition to solidify their backline if they’re serious about pushing to win major honours at both domestic and European level.