JibrinLeicester City have tabled an official offer for Alexis Saelemaekers, according to reports in Italy, and the Foxes are now sitting just shy of AC Milan’s valuation—meaning they could be ready to pull the plug on Matias Soulé of Juventus. The Belgium international returned to the San Siro fold following a productive loan spell with Bologna, where he notched four goals and provided three assists in 32 competitive appearances across all competitions. The Rossoneri had been widely expected to make that move permanent, but ultimately decided against it following the change in coaching staff to Vincenzo Italiano.
According to Sportitalia transfer guru Gianluigi Longari, Leicester City have now submitted a formal bid for Saelemaekers and the offer is already extremely close to the demands set by Milan. Negotiations are progressing positively as the two clubs look to iron out the frankly minor differences currently separating their positions. The ball now sits firmly in Leicester’s court as they look to convince the 25-year-old to swap Serie A for a relegation battle in the Championship. Saelemaekers operates primarily as a right-sided winger—the exact same position as Soulé—which strongly suggests Leicester may be preparing to go all-in for the Belgian rather than the Argentine, who would cost more than twice as much and is also attracting serious interest from Roma.
Milan originally purchased the Belgian from RSC Anderlecht for a total of €10.9m back in 2020, handing him a contract that was due to expire in June 2026. They are now asking for roughly the same figure, with Atalanta also previously credited with an interest in the wide man. Throughout his time in Italy, Saelemaekers has delivered flashes of genuine brilliance, registering 10 goals and 14 assists in 140 competitive outings, though he has often struggled for consistency.
Here is the crucial context that changes everything about this transfer story. Despite Leicester negotiating as if he is available, Saelemaekers actually signed a new five-year contract with Milan back in December 2025, tying him to the club until 2031. The deal reportedly doubled his wages to €3m per season. So why are Milan listening to offers? The new contract doesn’t kick in until July 1, 2026. Right now, he is still playing on his old deal. Milan are facing a simple choice: cash in now, or commit to those higher wages next season. Leicester’s reported €25m bid for Soulé was swatted away by Juventus, with the Turin giants holding out for a fee in the region of €35-40m. Crucially, the report confirming Leicester’s €25m bid came out four days ago, while the Saelemaekers news is fresher, suggesting this looks like a genuine pivot.
With Wout Faes currently on loan at Monaco and hoping to force his way back into the Belgium squad, the prospect of linking up with an international colleague at the King Power Stadium could be an attractive proposition for Saelemaekers. Then there is the elephant in the room. If Leicester are relegated to League One, they will need to slash wages again. Signing Saelemaekers on his current €1.2m wages makes financial sense. Signing Soulé for €40m plus massive wages? That is a Premier League luxury, not a Championship gamble.
Jibrin
