Three Richard Kone alternatives Leicester City should target after £5m blow

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Leicester City appear to have missed out on another striker as Richard Kone closes in on a move to Queens Park Rangers.

EFL Analysis exclusively revealed that QPR had won the race to sign Kone from Wycombe Wanderers and that he would be travelling to West London to complete a medical.

Wycombe had reduced Kone’s asking price by £2m earlier in the window and it seems like it is the R’s is where he will be playing Championship football.

It’s another bitter blow for Leicester who are having to sell before they can buy this summer as another target goes from under their noses.

There is still time in the transfer window to get a Jamie Vardy replacement but the Foxes will have to be smart to land that coveted signing.

With that, here are three options EFL Analysis thinks Leicester should be considering.

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Mihailo Ivanovic – Millwall

Let’s start off with what would be the most ambitious of the three.

Mihailo Ivanovic enjoyed a brilliant start to life in English football last season with Millwall as his 12 league goals had the Lions pushing for a play-off place.

Alex Neil doesn’t want Ivanovic to be sold and so far, Millwall’s resolve is yet to be tested.

Marti Cifuentes‘ side will be in the promotion hunt and at a side that is expected to dominate on the ball, the Serbian would get so many more chances in front of goal, and could even break the 20-goal mark if chosen as their number nine.

It would be a tough deal to do, and Millwall wouldn’t let him go easily, but if the Foxes are going to go big on any position, it’s this one.

Cristian Shpendi – Cesena

During their glory days, Leicester’s big transfer success stories were often players with little-to-no reputation in England.

Apart from avid Football Manager players, Cristian Shpendi isn’t someone that many would’ve come across before.

Shpendi was playing in the second tier of Italian football last season but grabbed 11 goals in 34 games and 13 in all competitions.

It’s a healthy record for the 22-year-old, who seems to be getting better with each season that passes.

He is likely to command a much smaller fee than most options and, like Ivanovic, is young and can lead the line for years to come.

Nikola Stulic – Charleroi

The Belgian league can be a place where talent can be unearthed and one of the biggest gems of all may be Nikola Stulic.

Plying his trade at Charleroi, it’s clear that Stulic is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to scoring goals.

Whether getting there on the follow-through to half-volleys, the 23-year-old is there to put the ball into the back of the net.

Stulic has 19 goals in 57 games for Charleroi and displays similar traits to Kone of being tall but able to beat his man.

Another difficult deal to pull off no doubt, but Stulic could be good value for money again.