Transfer Deadline Day update: Benkovic signs, one more on the way?

Leicester City’s transfer deadline day is off to a great, with the club announcing the £13m arrival of CB Filip Benković from Dinamo Zagreb on a 5 year deal.

This has the making of a very good piece of business for the Foxes. Despite just turning 21 this summer, the 6”4’ (1.94m) Croatian has already made 88 appearances for his boyhood club, including 15 in Europe.

As you’d expect from a player his size, Benković is a powerful defender with a strong aerial presence, not unlike Harry Maguire. But just to reiterate the only words coming out of the club regarding Maguire, HE IS NOT FOR SALE, so while Benkovic may be seen as a long term replacement, it won't be this season.

Hopefully that won't be the end of the day’s business at the King Power stadium. The Foxes are also interested in bringing in Turkish defender Çaglar Söyüncü (sorry my keyboard actually won't do the g he uses) from Freiburg.

The Turkey international has apparently been in demand by many clubs this summer, but the most recent news is that Leicester have apparently agreed on a £20m fee. He has enough caps that the team don't believe his work permit will be an issue, but there’s still plenty to get done if we’re going to avoid another Silva situation.

What would this, the 3rd CB signed this summer, mean for the rest of the team? Well it means Puel certainly has some difficult decisions ahead of him. When Musa was sold I counted 27 players requiring a 25 man squad registration. Benković’s age should preclude him, but still we’re up to 28 now.

Once the window is shut, the Foxes have to submit their squad, but there is a little more time for those who don't make the cut.

While the window is closed for the Premier League, the rest of Europe remains open. This means we can still sell our unwanted players abroad, or loan them to the Championship. A number of players, including Ulloa, Okazaki, Simpson and King could end up this way, though so far the only major rumours have centred around Islam Slimani, who looks likely to move at some point in the European window.

POST WINDOW UPDATE:

No Söyüncü, then, but still a good for city to bring in Benković and keep Maguire.

Çaglar Söyüncü has signed. Maybe. probably. The deal is subject to a work permit, which both sides fully expect to be granted in the next few days. But never fear, there are no Silva-esque shenanigans to be had here. If the permit is denied, the deal simply never happened, we pay nothing and he continues to play in Germany (and we probably try again after he’s played for Turkey a couple more times).

There were no outgoings today, but there’s still plenty of time for that to happen. The 25 man squad announcement should provide a lot of insight into which senior players are sticking around and which aren't. Anyone included and then sold would be a wasted spot at this point, after all.