Leicester to accelerate £30m move for Fiorentina attacker Nicolas Gonzalez

Leicester plan to speed up their move to sign Nicolás González from Fiorentina during the early part of next week.

The Argentinian attacker is a priority target for the Foxes, who are willing to make him one of the highest-paid players at the club if they manage to agree a fee with the Serie A outfit.

Fiorentina are seeking around £30m for the 24-year-old, who is believed to earn a salary of around £83,000 a week, more than any other player in Florence has been paid.

While they would consider a player swap, with Leicester midfielder Dennis Praet admired, Fiorentina would prefer a straight cash deal.

Publicly, the club insist that González is not for sale at this window, but the situation is believed to be a bit more complex.

Like most Serie A clubs, Fiorentina are far from wealthy and would find it hard to resist a big offer, especially as they are interested in signing at least one central midfielder in this window.

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has been eyeing a right winger for over a year now, and was sorely disappointed that the club were unable to turn Ademola Lookman’s loan deal into a permanent move.

They also looked at Burkina Faso winger Dango Ouattara, who plays for French club Lorient.

After improving before the World Cup break, the Foxes have lost all three of their league games since the restart and are now just two points above the relegation zone, ahead of Saturday’s trip to local rivals Nottingham Forest.