Leicester set to beat Arsenal and Brighton to the signing of Celtic striker for £15m

Leicester set to beat Arsenal and Brighton to the signing of Celtic striker for £15m

Leicester have reportedly won the race to sign Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard, seeing off competition from Arsenal and Brighton.

Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers signed the sought-after forward for the Scottish side for a club-record £8million fee in 2018.

And according to the Times, a reunion with Rodgers was a a crucial factor in persuading Edouard to move to the King Power amid interest from the Gunners, Brighton, Tottenham and Italian champions Inter Milan.

It is understood the deal will be officially rubber-stamped once Celtic confirm Ange Postecoglou as their new manager, with UEFA approval still needed to bring the Australian in as boss at Parkhead.

The Hoops have agreed compensation with his current employers, Japanese side Yokohama F Marinos, but the deal is being held up as the club applies for an exemption given his lack of European coaching qualifications.

Edouard has attracted interest from across Europe after three prolific full seasons in Glasgow, with 74 goals in 139 appearances in all competitions across that time.

The French Guiana-born forward was at the apex of his value last summer after scoring 29 goals in 2019-20 to help his side secure a historic ‘treble treble’ of domestic cups.

Despite notching 22 strikes this campaign, Celtic have struggled, finishing 25 points off bitter rivals Rangers in the league, leading to previous boss Neil Lennon resigning in February.

That means Leicester have swooped now to buy Edouard for a reported £15m and secure the long-term future of their strike force, with the France U21 international set to link up with Kelechi Iheanacho, 24, given 34-year-old Jamie Vardy’s powers are perhaps slightly on the wane.