The 22-year-old Frenchman has signed a five-year-deal and will join up with his new Foxes teammates for the start of pre-season later this month.
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English Premier League (EPL) side Leicester City have confirmed the signing of midfielder Boubakary Soumare from Ligue 1 champions Lille for an undisclosed fee. The deal is subject to Premier League and international clearance. Soumare has signed a five-year-deal and will join his new teammates for the start of pre-season later this month. The 22-year-old Frenchman made 40 appearances in all competitions for Lille last season. This includes eight matches in the UEFA Europa League, playing a key role in the Les Dogues winning the French title, defeating Paris Saint-Germain to first place by one point.
“I’m really proud to come to the Premier League and a big club like Leicester. It’s going to really help me to develop my game and progress as a player, so I feel it is the right step for me. Leicester is a very ambitious club. When they spoke to me about their plans and what they wanted from me, I knew straight away I wanted to come. I really am so proud and honoured to be here and I will give my all for the team and club to make everyone happy,” said the midfielder in an interaction with Leicester City‘s official website.
“It’s a natural progression for me after the interest Leicester showed. It was the most appealing club for me. I like the way they play football. It was the most logical choice for me. Brendan Rodgers is one of the main factors that made me want to come to the Club. He’s really good at developing young players, he knows them well and gives them their chance. I’ve spoken to him already and it went well. I spoke to Wesley about the Club, the environment and everything around it and he only had good things to say. He’s already achieved so much with the Club in a short space of time and it’s massive. It’s encouraging to see another young French player doing so well after making the move,” added the 22-year-old.
He’s a great guy. I think the best way to describe myself is a team player who gives everything on the pitch. It was an amazing feeling [to win the league with Lille], a truly unique feeling and I would love to be successful with Leicester in future. It’s given me a desire to achieve more. I’m excited to join this Leicester City team. I will give everything for the team and for the Club,” he concluded.
The industrious midfielder started his career with Paris FC, spending five years with the club. Soumare further joined the PSG Youth Academy in 2011. The 22-year-old moved to Lille in 2017, after six seasons with PSG. Soumare signed a three-year deal, making his professional debut in a 3-0 win over Metz in November of the same year.
The midfielder’s stay was extended by a further two years at the end of the 2017/18 campaign. Soumare scored his first goal for the club at Lyon in May 2019. The 22-year-old made 112 appearances in all competitions for Lille, helping the club win Ligue 1 for the first time since 2011.
