Leicester City have reportedly opened talks with Genk over the signing of midfielder Bilal El Khannous, with an initial bid of £12.7m rejected.
The 20-year-old spent the majority of the summer at the Paris Olympics, where a young Moroccan side were gunning for a gold-medal standing.
El Khannous was a regular fixture in the engine room for the Atlas Lions, starting five matches, including the 6-0 win over Egypt as the North Africans clinched a bronze medal.
Focusing on club football, the midfielder has been on the books of Genk for over three years after making the switch from Anderlecht's youth setup in 2021.
Scoring four times across 94 competitive appearances for the Belgian Pro League outfit, El Khannous has managed to cement himself as a key player in Thorsten Fink's side.
© Imago
Leicester bid for El Khannous snubbed?
According to Belgian journalist Bob Faesen, Leicester are interested in securing the services of El Khannous from Genk before the conclusion of the summer window.
The report states that the Foxes made an opening bid ranging between £12.7m and £16.9m for the 20-year-old, who has never played professional club football outside of Belgium.
It is believed that Leicester's initial offer for El Khannous was rejected, although Steve Cooper's side have not given up hope of sealing a deal.
With Friday's transfer deadline fast approaching, it is understood that the Premier League newcomers and Genk are currently in discussions over a suitable fee for the midfielder.
As well as Leicester, Manchester United and Liverpool have been also linked with El Khannous over the past 12 months, although both of those sides are not in the race for the youngster at this stage.
© Imago
Strong starts and midfield options
Despite speculation regarding his future, El Khannous started Genk's most recent Pro League clash on August 17, when Fink's side travelled to newly-promoted Beerschot.
Holding on with a numerical disadvantage after Mujaid Sadick's sending off in the 75th minute, the visitors managed to claim three points, with the Leicester-linked playmaker bagging an assist.
El Khannous would be targeting the advanced-midfield role at the King Power Stadium, a position that Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Facundo Buonanotte has vacated at the start of the season.
Following the departure of academy product Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea, Leicester have lost a lot of creativity in the engine room and could require multiple new faces to replace the quality of last season's leading playmaker.
