PSG last night eliminated Liverpool from the UEFA Champions League in one of the most entertaining European ties in some years.
The French giants took Arne Slot’s side all the way to penalties as PSG bested Liverpool at Anfield to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, a stage of the competition that Leicester City reached eight years ago after beating Sevilla.
Indeed, the path the Foxes have gone down since that famous European win at the King Power Stadium has been one few fans would have predicted, with Leicester on the brink of a second relegation from the Premier League in three years.
Yet things could have been different had Leicester beaten PSG in 2020 to one player who starred for the Ligue 1 giants in the Champions League this month against Liverpool.
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Photo by Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images
Photo by Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images
Leicester were in the mix to sign Nuno Mendes in 2020
According to the Daily Mail five years ago, Leicester were keen on signing then-Sporting Lisbon wonderkid Nuno Mendes, who at the time was regarded as one of the most exciting talents in all of Europe.
Having sold Ben Chilwell, Mendes was eyed as a long-term replacement for the Chelsea defender with Leicester seemingly weighing up a big-money move for the youngster, who at the time was also wanted by Newcastle United.
Yet, as we now know, PSG ended up winning the race for Mendes as Leicester landed Ryan Betrand on a free transfer in 2021, with the former Southampton star making just 11 appearances in two years for the Foxes before retiring in 2023.
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As for Mendes, the Portuguese international has since blossomed into one of the best fullbacks in world football, with the 22-year-old defender playing a starring role for PSG in last night’s win against Liverpool having kept Mohamed Salah quiet across the two legs for the French giants.
Who else have Leicester almost come close to signing in recent years?
Leicester’s list of transfer misses reads like a who’s-who of some of the best talents in world football, with the Foxes really dropping the ball in recent years on trying to recruit players who ended up becoming superstars.
Michael Olise was wanted by Leicester in 2020 with the-then Reading star tearing up the Championship before Crystal Palace landed the French talent, who is now a regular for Bayern Munich and believed to be worth around £100m.
WIth Leicester seemingly a million miles away from making shrewd signings like Olise and Mendes before their big breaks, it feels like it’ll be some time before the board rediscover the magic formula to land exciting signings, a trait the Foxes used to have during their prime.