Both Chelsea and Manchester United are interested in Leicester City defender Caglar Soyuncu, who has made a real name for himself in the Premier League since joining the Foxes back in 2018 from German outfit Freiburg. He has cemented himself as one of the best defenders in the league in the last few seasons and played a key role in helping the Midlands club finish fifth in the Premier League this season and win the FA Cup.
Should Chelsea get themselves involved in a real battle with United to land the Turkish international and win the race for his signature, the deal would almost certainly earn the thumbs up from Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan. That is because, back in January 2020, the City star heaped praise on Soyuncu’s shoulders, insisting that, at that time, only Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk was the better performing centre-back in the Premier League.
Ilkay Gundogan, speaking at the start of last year, said: “I agree with the general opinion of the football public. In this season, Caglar Soyuncu had the best performance in the Premier League after Van Dijk. I didn’t know him before. We met when we met in matches. In addition to the Premier League games two seasons ago, we also matched with Leicester City in a cup. We became competitors in many matches. We always saw and talked to each other. We started getting to know each other. His football understanding and character are also very good. His performances for both Leicester and the national team have been good.”
Whilst raving about Soyuncu’s qualities, Gundogan admitted that he would like to see Pep Guardiola add him to City’s squad.
Ilkay Gundogan added: “The first thing that comes to my mind about the Turkish player I want to see in Manchester City is Caglar.”
Considering City had centre-backs such as Aymeric Laporte and John Stones on their books at the time, it speaks volumes about just how much Gundogan thought of Soyuncu. The 25-year-old has massively improved since working under Brendan Rodgers at the King Power Stadium, offering belief that he could take his game to the next level if he was to make the switch to Stamford Bridge and work with Tuchel. But considering he is likely to cost big money, and Chelsea are prioritising other signings, it remains to be seen whether or not the Blues will make a formal move for the Leicester ace.
