Brendan Rodgers and Leicester weigh up Ademola Lookman permanent deal

Leicester City and Brendan Rodgers consider £14m bid for Leipzig loanee Ademola Lookman.

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers is reportedly considering making winger Ademola Lookman’s loan to the club permanent.

Lookman, who is on a season-long loan to the Foxes from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, has had a mixed experience during his spell in the East Midlands not helped by his side’s oscillating form collectively.

The Telegraph understands that Rodgers is considering a bid for the player to be part of his summer rebuild that could see up to six new additions to his squad.

Within the same report, John Percy goes on to state that the deal is “far from certain” due to Leicester’s need to sell before they buy.

Starting his career at what is a hotbed of young talent, Charlton Athletic, Lookman’s career has taken an unlikely path.

Following a rapid ascent into the first-team at his boyhood club, the then 19-year-old was signed by Everton for £7.5m, highlighting the regard he was held in at a young age.

Starved of consistent playing time at the Toffees, Lookman decided to follow the likes of Jadon Sancho and Reiss Nelson in moving to the Bundesliga in hope of greater responsibility.

His attempt to do so failed to have the desired effect and despite remaining under contract at Leipzig until June 2024, the Eastern-Germany side will accept a bid of £14m to see a permanent departure.

How has Ademola Lookman fit in at Leicester City?

Forced into the transfer market due to the departure of both Rachid Ghezzal and Demarai Gray along with the conclusion of Cengiz Ünder’s loan from AS Roma, Leicester pursued Lookman as a cheap option that brought with him valuable Premier League experience.

Primarily a left-sided winger, the recently capped Nigeria international has been fielded on both flanks due to a scarce number of options on either side.

While the left is evidently where the 24-year-old is most comfortable, he has filled in admirably on the opposite flank when called upon.

A potential stumbling block in the deal’s completion is the highly regarded Harvey Barnes who plays in Lookman’s preferred position.

Although the latter has managed to put himself ahead of his teammate in the pecking order on occasion, Barnes, an academy product, will likely take precedent subject to a significant change in form.

Comparing the pair’s statistics in this campaign, the reason for Barnes’ preferential treatment becomes increasingly clear.

In the 2021/22 Premier League season, Lookman has scored six in 25 matches (1,439 minutes) and whereas Barnes has notched the same amount of goals in 30 matches (1997 minutes), he has also supplied nine assists compared to zero by the former.

The ability to create chances for Leicester’s lone striker is vital to succeeding in a Brendan Rodgers’ team and could be viewed as a reason to pursue options elsewhere.

Despite this and taking the scale of the rebuild being touted into account, the signing of Lookman permanently could be viewed as a straightforward deal to get across the line thanks to the pre-existing relationship with Leipzig and the player.