Following a 2-0 defeat against Charlton Athletic, Leicester City have set their sights on a new central defender. It’s no secret that City have struggled throughout this season defensively, with 45 goals conceded. In addition to this, they also haven’t kept a clean sheet in 24 games, a record dating back to September 2025. These struggles out of possession have plagued the Foxes all year, but with the addition of leadership and experience, could the backline improve?
Leicester target Premier League Defender amid tough run
Jamaal Lascelles: On the move?
As reported by Mark McAdam, Leicester are one of the six clubs showing interest in Jamaal Lascelles. Fellow Midlands club Birmingham City are also in the race, with the Blues sat just a few places ahead of the Foxes. Ben Jacobs and Alex Crook also put out similar reports, as the 32-year-old has played just two times this season and is out of contract this summer.
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Lascelles first made his move to the North East back in 2015 and has since played over 250 times for the Magpies. Before this decade-long stint, he made his way into professional football with Leicester rivals Nottingham Forest. However, in more recent years, he continued to fall down the pecking order with no starts yet this campaign. This is of course, due to Newcastle’s rising ambitions, but despite this, Lascelles has remained a constant between the Mike Ashley days and the new Saudi regime.
As for Leicester, it’s no surprise they are in for a new centre-back. Wout Faes recently left for Monaco in this transfer window, while Conor Coady departed for Wrexham in the summer. With Jannik Vestergaard and Harry Souttar both out, and Caleb Okoli now suspended, City only have Ben Nelson left. Furthermore, even next season, Lascelles could be a useful player as the likes of Okoli and Souttar could be departing from the East Midlands.
How Does This Affect Leicester?
Bringing in any player at this stage of the window is crucial. Once again, the recruitment team have left their business late as they did in the summer, as Jordan James, Julian Carranza and Aaron Ramsey all signed on deadline day. It could be a similar reality in just a few days’ time, as the club desperately needs new options to freshen up the side. Considering Lascelles is a defender, this could help bring stability to a back line currently all over the place.
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His experience at the highest level in both Europe and the Premier League is invaluable and could help other youngsters. For instance, Bade Aluko, Ben Nelson and Kevon Gray are all exciting prospects who could learn a lot from a figurehead like Lascelles. Eddie Howe even praised this side of his game back in September 2025. He said: “But I think for Jamaal, he’s such a role model in terms of how he conducts himself and how he behaves and how he trains, a vocal presence as well. We’re going to need him to keep to those standards because he really is a great culture setter for us.”
However, Leicester also need to ensure that the wages aren’t too much as their work in reducing their overheads could be undone by bringing in veterans like this. Overall, it wouldn’t be an ambitious move, and it’s a deal that really epitomises how far the club has fallen. Regardless, if they need someone to steady the ship and help City survive relegation, then the Newcastle defender is a decent option.
Featured Image Credit:
IMAGO / Sports Press Photo Leicester
