Leicester City to rival West Ham United for Bayer Leverkusen's Odilon Kossounou?

Leicester City are reportedly set to battle West Ham United for the signature of Bayer Leverkusen defender Odilon Kossounou.

The 22-year-old has made 56 competitive appearances for the German side since arriving from Club Brugge in the summer of 2021.

Although he replaced the suspended Piero Hincapie in the lineup for Sunday's 1-1 draw with Freiburg, Kossounou has found it difficult to consistently nail down a place in the starting XI this season.

The Ivory Coast international has only started in nine of Leverkusen's 22 Bundesliga games during the current campaign.

With Kossounou seemingly frustrated with his playing time, he is believed to be keen on the idea of a summer departure.

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Kossounou, who primarily plays as a centre-back, was linked with a loan switch to West Ham in the January transfer window.

While a move last month failed to materialise, according to The Sun, the Hammers are set to renew their interest in the summer.

They could face competition from Leicester City, who are also keen to bring the 22-year-old to the Premier League.

West Ham are yet to replace Craig Dawson, after the 32-year-old joined fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers in January.

In contrast, Leicester bolstered their backline with the signing of Harry Souttar from Championship outfit Stoke City, but they will want to add to their defensive ranks when Caglar Soyuncu leaves at the end of the season.

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Soyuncu has fallen down the pecking order at the King Power Stadium, and as a result, he will depart on a free transfer in the summer, with Atletico Madrid believed to be his next destination.

Kossounou has a contract with Leverkusen until June 2026, and the Bundesliga club are hoping to receive a £25m fee.

However, there is a belief that West Ham and Leicester will want to reduce the asking price or consider a loan with a purchase option.

There could also be further interest from Nottingham Forest, who are in the market for a new central defender.

After failing to land Kossounou's teammate Jonathan Tah in January, they could turn their attention to the Ivorian this summer.