Leicester City are looking to add to their attacking options and are considering making a move for the Paris Saint Germain outcast Hatem Ben Arfa in January. Leicester manager Claude Puel is a big fan of the winger from their time together at Nice and is now looking at the possibility of recruiting him when the transfer window opens next year.
The ex Newcastle United and Hull City player has been frozen out at his current club, Paris Saint-Germain with the arrival of new recruits Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr. It is also being reported that Parisians will be open for a loan move for the Frenchman.
In 2015, Claude Puel recruited Hatem Ben Arfa during his tenure at Nice and helped him enjoy one of the most outstanding seasons of his career. The French winger scored 18 goals, which also earned him an international recall with the France national team.
However, his big move to Paris hasn’t panned out well with the midfielder yet to make an appearance this season after he refused to move on to another club during the summer.
In January, the 30-year-old winger will have six months remaining on his contract with wages of £100,000 and the Foxes would like to shed some light on whether they can come to an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain, which would see Leicester City pay a percentage of his wages until next summer.
Claude Puel has recently spoken highly of Hatem Ben Arfa praising how the Frenchman showed his fighting spirit during the first few months of 2015 when he was unable to feature for Nice due to FIFA regulations.
The Daily Mail is also claiming that it is likely that the Foxes’ boss will look to offload some of their fringe players in the January transfer window which will help him fund their spending during the winter. Some of the Leicester City players who are deemed to be surplus to requirements include Ahmed Musa, Islam Slimani, Leonardo Ulloa and Yohan Benalouane.
Hatem Ben Arfa made a total of 84 appearances in the Premier League for Newcastle United and Hull City with 13 goals and 13 assists to his name. His time under Claude Puel at Nice turned out to be even more productive where he made 37 appearances while scoring 18 goals and making 6 assists.
There is no doubt that the Clamart born winger has what it takes to perform at the highest level. But at the age of 30, it remains to be seen whether he can revive his career and have the same kind of impact like he once used to have during his time at Newcastle United, Hull City and Nice.
