Leicester City boss Ruud van Nistelrooy could be about to complete one of the deals of the transfer window as his Foxes sit perilously close to the relegation zone - with Brighton striker Evan Ferguson reportedly said to be 'keen' on a move to the east Midlands.
Ferguson burst onto the scene at Brighton just over a year ago, with six goals in the Premier League in his debut campaign - and he followed that up last season under Roberto De Zerbi, scoring another six as the Seagulls just missed out on the top half. However, new boss Fabian Hurzeler seemingly doesn't rate the Ireland international, having started just one game in the top-flight this season - and that has led the striker wanting to learn under van Nistelrooy, reports state.
Report: Ferguson 'Keen' on Leicester City Move
The Irishman has struggled for minutes on the south coast
Brighton & Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson fires a shot goalwards against Wolverhampton Wanderers
The report from Football Insider states that Leicester have been 'backed' to land the signing of Ferguson from Brighton in the January transfer window - with the chance to work under Premier League goalscoring icon Ruud Van Nistelrooy being a 'great opportunity' for the young Irish forward to develop in a goalscoring sense.
|Evan Ferguson's Premier League statistics - Brighton squad ranking, 23/24|
|Stats|Output|Squad rank|
|Appearances|27|=8th|
|Goals|6|=2nd|
|Man of the Match Awards|1|=4th|
|Shots Per Game|1.2|=9th|
|Aerial Duels Won Per Game|0.5|13th|
|Match rating|6.49|=15th|
|---|
Ferguson has been made available for a loan transfer this winter, with the likes of West Ham United, Fulham, Southampton and Celtic all taking a keen interest in his talents - though there is still work to be done by the Foxes before a move to the King Power Stadium can be considered 'on the cards'.
However, Ferguson is keen on the move with the promise of minutes in the East Midlands, and the club view him as a potentially pivotal player in their fight to stay in the Premier League, with the gap at just one point from the drop zone - and they want to add a striker for an increase in quality.
Brighton are still yet to decide on whether they will accept a loan bid in the January transfer window for the 'superstar', though the Seagulls are open to offers after Ferguson moved behind Joao Pedro and Danny Welbeck in the pecking order at the AMEX Stadium.
There is a recognition from Leicester that, whilst they have scored goals, there is an over-reliance on Jamie Vardy, who has turned 37 - and a move for Ferguson would allow Vardy to rest, Ferguson to develop, and give Leicester the opportunity to play with two strikers up front.
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Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 03-12-24.