Leicester City are interested in the £4 million-rated nephew of a UCL winner

According to sources, Leicester City are keeping an eye on Hoffenheim’s teenage defender Melayro Bogarde, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

Bogarde rose to fame in 2019 as a member of The Netherlands’ U17s team, which won the UEFA European U17 Championship in the Republic of Ireland. Players like Leeds United’s Sam Greenwood, Kenneth Taylor, and Brian Brobbey competed for their respective countries in that event.

After joining Hoffenheim from Eredivisie giants Feyenoord two seasons before, Bogarde made his Bundesliga debut less than a year later.

However, Bogarde’s career isn’t going as planned right now. After only 11 games for Hoffenheim, the teenage defender was loaned out to Groningen and PEC Zwolle in his home country.

Bogarde has failed to make a single appearance for the club since returning from his loan spell in the summer, and he is out of contract at the end of the 2023/24 season, with Leicester City set to swoop for his signing.

According to Dutch site Voetbal Primeur, via Football Oranje, the Foxes are interested in signing Bogarde at the end of the season, though Enzo Maresca’s side will face competition from Serie A club Bologna, who are doing exceptionally well this season in the Italian top-flight.

Veel interesse in Jong Oranje-international: Leicester, Bologna of Eredivisie https://t.co/Nulr8cezix

— VoetbalPrimeur (@VoetbalPrimeur) December 11, 2023

Bogarde is the brother of Bristol Rovers loanee Lamare Bogarde and the nephew of Winston Bogarde, a former Chelsea, Ajax, and Barcelona great who won the UEFA Champions League with Ajax under Louis van Gaal in 1995.

According to the CIES Football Observatory, Bogarde’s market value is £4 million, but the former Premier League club may sign the 21-year-old for free at the end of the season.

Having seen Bogarde numerous times at the U17 Euros in Ireland, Leicester City would be acquiring a superb player with a very high ceiling, but one who has been denied first-team playing in recent months.

Bogarde was one of the tournament’s stars, and while his career hasn’t gone as smoothly as he’d anticipated so far, Maresca may be able to bring out the best in him at the King Power Stadium.