Leicester City prepare for European transfer battle amid interest in ‘incredible’ Swedish midfielder

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Leicester City enjoyed their best performance of the season so far on Friday evening, as they beat Birmingham City 2-0 at the King Power Stadium.

It was an excellent victory for Marti Cifuentes and his players, with Chris Davies praising Abdul Fatawu, who struck early on for the Foxes.

Ricardo Pereira ensured victory in the closing minutes as he got onto the end of a teasing Jeremy Monga cross, with the result sending the East Midlands outfit temporarily into the top three.

However, Leicester are not willing to rest on their laurels, and after finding themselves in the battle for Issa Kabore earlier this week, they are now fighting another European club for a target, with their attention turned to Sweden.

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Leicester City and Hellas Verona show interest in AIK’s Anton Saletros

The Foxes’ summer was dominated early on by the departure of Jamie Vardy, and with just three days to go in the transfer window, Cifuentes is keen to ensure that his team end it strongly.

Therefore, it may not come as a surprise to see Leicester in the market for a new central midfielder, with Swedish outlet Expressen reporting that the Championship side are targeting AIK’s Anton Saletros ahead of Monday’s 7pm deadline.

However, there is also competition from Italian club Hellas Verona, who finished 14th in Serie A last season.

According to the report, both teams are readying bids for the captain of the Swedish giants, after the transfer window in Sweden shut on Friday evening.

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Marti Cifuentes has experience of managing in Allsvenskan

Having a manager who has spent time across Europe is always extremely useful, and it will perhaps come as no surprise to see an AIK player on the radar of Cifuentes, who spent time there as a youth coach between 2017 and 2018.

The Leicester boss has managed clubs in Norway, Denmark and Sweden previously, and this connection to Saletros could play a role in any potential negotiations.

The 29-year-old has played 219 times for AIK in two separate spells, and teammate Aron Csongvai is a huge fan of the midfielder. He said (via: Sport Bladet, translated from Swedish): “He is captain and incredibly important for the team.

“How he plays, how he controls the game and how he gives advice – he leads the team through his communication on the pitch. I’m happy to play alongside him. He’s an incredible player.”