Leicester 'Ahead of Everyone' in Race for Adam Lallana Despite Interest from Lazio
By Josh Sim
Despite interest from Serie A, Leicester City are leading the race to sign Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana, who will be out of contract in a matter of months.
The 31-year-old is set to depart Anfield after six years at the club, having become more of a squad player on Merseyside in recent seasons.
With his deal set to expire, Lallana is free to talk to other interested teams about a potential move elsewhere as he looks for regular gametime.
According to Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) Leicester lead the likes of Lazio in the race for the English playmaker.
Lazio's director of football Igli Tare is said to be very interested in Lallana, and has been in regular contact with his agent Jonathan Barnett over recent years.
Yet despite this, the newspaper believes there would be an issue in the Rome club already having ex-Red midfielders Lucas Leiva and Luis Alberto already on their books, which they describe as an 'obstacle'.
It admits that Leicester are 'ahead of everyone' in the race for the midfielder's signature and 'could close the deal shortly', even though there has been recent talks of a so-called 'duel' between Lazio and the Foxes by English media outlets.
Certainly, a reunion with former manager Brendan Rodgers would be attractive to the 31-year-old, having played under him previously when the Northern Irishman was in charge at Anfield.
The English international made his debut for Southampton in 2006, having been developed in the Saints' academy. After playing 265 games for the club, he moved to Liverpool in 2014 for a £25m fee.
Having made 88 appearances for the Reds in his first three seasons, he has since been hampered by injury problems and has fallen down the midfield pecking order on Merseyside, having only made eight starts this season for Jürgen Klopp.