NEWCASTLE and Leicester have been joined by Napoli and Inter Milan in the race to sign Moroccan World Cup hero Azzedine Ounahi.
Alongside Sofyan Amrabat, Ounahi, 22, played a crucial role in the Atlas Lions’ sensational World Cup campaign in Qatar.
He helped Morocco all the way to the semi-finals, beating Spain and Portugal along the way.
They were eventually knocked out by France in the last four, before Croatia beat them to third place.
Following his international success, Ounahi is now eager to leave Ligue 1 side Angers in search of a new challenge – although his contract is not up until June 2026.
The French club officials are willing to accept any suitable offer for the midfielder in January, but they want him to remain in France on loan until the end of the 2022-23 season.
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Leicester are reportedly prepared to offer up to £39.5million.
The Foxes are at risk of losing star man Youri Tielemans on a free transfer in June, so signing a new midfielder during the upcoming window will be crucial.
Ounahi’s impressive performances have also attracted interest from a number of Premier League clubs including Newcastle, Leeds and West Ham.
However, according to Foot Mercato, Napoli and Inter Milan have now joined the race to sign him.
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Ounahi is believed to be “leaning towards” a move to one of the Serie A giants.
Both Napoli and Inter are still in the Champions League and will expect to seal a place in next year’s competition.
Napoli currently sit top of the table, eight points clear of second-place AC Milan.
They are believed to be eyeing up Ounahi as a replacement for German midfielder Diego Demme.
Meanwhile, Inter sit fifth in Serie A after a difficult start to the campaign.
But they did qualify out of a Champions League group including Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Simone Inzaghi’s men were then drawn against Porto in the last-16, while Napoli will face Eintracht Frankfurt.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
