Steve Cooper holds transfer meeting as Leicester City close in on Moroccan midfielder

Leicester City are said to have agreed a deal with Belgian side Genk over the 20-year-old Moroccan attacking midfielder, with Cooper dashing off to get an update from Jon Rudkin

with director of football Jon Rudkin as Leicester City close in on attacking midfielder Bilal El Khannouss.

Reports from Belgium say City have agreed a €25m (£21m) fee with Genk for the 20-year-old Moroccan international as they looked to add attacking players before Friday’s transfer deadline. Cooper was non-committal over the El Khannouss, but said he was due to head for a meeting with the recruitment team after he secured his first win as City manager, a 4-0 victory over Tranmere in the Carabao Cup.

“I’ve stayed away from everything outside of the matchday,” he said when asked about El Khannouss. “I’m due to go and speak to the recruitment guys and Jon and see if there are any updates of players leaving or coming in. Let’s see.

“As soon as the league started, I’ve been very clear about what I feel would be helpful, but I’m really committed to the guys I work with every day. Any manager will tell you that come the close of a window, you want to be in the strongest position possible. We’re no different

“If we’re able to be where I’d like us to be, then brilliant. If not, the work doesn’t change and the commitment doesn’t change. We’ll give everything to the players we’ve got, who are doing brilliantly, and hope to grow the team day by day.”

The arrival of El Khannouss would be City’s biggest deal of the summer so far and would be a significant boost to the club’s attacking options. It’s thought an attacking midfielder and a striker are the priorities for City over the final few days of the window.

El Khannouss came through the youth ranks at Genk and has been in their first team for the past two seasons, establishing himself as their creative spark last term. He assisted eight goals for the Belgian side last season, and also ranked among the top performers in the division for progressive passes and passes into the penalty area.

He would come in as a rival to loanee Facundo Buonanotte in the number 10 role, an area where City do seem short. For the final 20 minutes of Saturday’s loss at Fulham, when City were chasing the game, and for the win over Tranmere, they had Wilfred Ndidi playing in attacking midfield.

A striker could also be targeted in the final days of the window, but budget constraints may be an issue. City made a bid for Panathinaikos’s Fotis Ioannidis earlier in the window, and while he remains available amid interest from around Europe, the club would likely have to return with a bid of more than £25m to secure the Greek international’s signature.