“Leicester City Targets Fotis Ioannidis with £22m Offer as Forward Shortage Hits”
Leicester City are set to offer £22 million for Panathinaikos striker Fotis Ioannidis, as their need for a new forward intensifies. The club is reported to have made a bid for the Greek international, who netted 23 goals in 44 appearances last season. Leicester will compete with Sporting Lisbon for his signature, as Ioannidis’s impressive performance has attracted attention across Europe.
Manager Steve Cooper has been hesitant about publicly discussing his pursuit of a new striker this summer. However, with Jamie Vardy still unavailable and Patson Daka recently injured, Leicester’s attacking options are limited ahead of their Premier League match against Spurs. Currently, Tom Cannon is the only fit senior striker, and after Daka was substituted during Saturday’s pre-season game against Lens, Cooper opted to use winger Stephy Mavididi as a forward, leaving Cannon on the bench.
Ioannidis enjoyed the most successful season of his career last year, scoring 23 goals and providing nine assists. In the Europa League group stage, he scored five times in six matches despite Panathinaikos’s overall struggles. This season was by far Ioannidis’s most prolific, surpassing his previous best of seven goals. He was first linked to Leicester in June, with interest also coming from Bologna, Celtic, Lille, Ipswich, and Sporting.