How many Leicester City transfers Enzo Maresca wants as he names new position to strengthen

Enzo Maresca wants Leicester City to sign a new center-back before the transfer window closes with summer recruit Conor Coady out until the end of September.

The City boss revealed on Friday afternoon that he wants three or four new arrivals before the window shuts in just under three weeks’ time. Midfielder Cesare Casadei is expected to join on loan from Chelsea, and Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is being targeted too, but Maresca has now said he wants a new central defender as well.

Coady, signed from Wolves this summer for around £7.5million, injured his foot in a pre-season match three weeks ago and will not feature in the first two months of the competitive campaign.

City have Wout Faes, Callum Doyle, Jannik Vestergaard, and Harry Souttar as alternative senior centre-back options, but with doubts over the futures of both Vestergaard, who has signalled he wants to leave, and Souttar, who has fallen down the pecking order, another centre-back is required.

Asked about Casadei and how many players he wants to sign before the window closes, Maresca said at his press conference on Friday afternoon: “(Casadei) is not our player, he’s Chelsea’s player. If we need an attacking midfielder? Yes.

“It depends how many players leave our club, but for sure we need three or four more players probably.”

Then asked if Coady’s injury meant City needed another central defender, he replied: “Probably, yes.”

Beyond that, City are likely to need another central midfielder too, particularly with doubts over Boubakary Soumare, Dennis Praet, and Wilfred Ndidi.

Soumare and Luke Thomas have not been in the matchday squad for either of the two competitive games so far, while Harry Souttar was also missing in midweek. But Maresca says their absences are not because of imminent moves away.

“I don’t know about offers (for Souttar),” he said. “The only thing I can say about Harry and the other 25 players is that the window is open and anything can happen. It’s not only about Harry. It’s about all of the squad.

“The decision (over Soumare and Thomas) was a technical one, not about the market, not about the future. As I said about Harry Souttar, it’s the same for Bouba and Luke.”