Foxes eye Sottil as left-winger scores for Italy U21

Leicester City reportedly watched Riccardo Sottil on Italy Under-21 duty against Iceland on Saturday and could make a move for the Fiorentina ace in January. Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport claim Sottil was the subject of the Foxes scout’s attention at the Paolo Mazza Stadium in Ferrara.
They report that the 20-year-old played a starring role in the Azzurrini’s 3-0 win over Iceland that moved the home side into second in Group 1 of qualifying for the 2021 European Under-21 Championship Finals.
Sottil opened the scoring with a fine right-foot shot from Andrea Pinamonti’s pass and generally did well for his 68 minutes on the pitch before he was replaced by Sassuolo’s Claud Adjapong.
The newspaper states that Leicester officials were present ‘precisely to view the performance of the 20-year-old’ and go on to claim that the mission was ‘aimed at making an offer to Fiorentina in the January market’.
Sottil is an exciting talent and a player that could be vulnerable to an offer or two in the January transfer window because he has just over 18 months left on his contract at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Fiorentina signed veteran left-winger Franck Ribery in the summer and he began the season as their first choice on that flank, before being switched to centre forward.
But Sottil has still found starts hard to come by in coach Vincenzo Montella’s 3-5-2 system with the winger not ideally suited to that formation.
He would fit perfectly into Brendan Rodgers’ 4-2-3-1 and provide stiff competition for Harvey Barnes and Demarai Gray.
However, Foxes fans should be cautious about the emerging transfer links as Corriere dello Sport reported last month that Sottil was set to extend his contract with Fiorentina.
The fact that the same newspaper is now spreading rumours about impending bids could indicate they are being fed by the player’s agents in a bid to speed up the talks with La Viola officials.