Aymen Abdennour wanted by Leicester and Southampton as duo plot to launch summer bids for Valencia centre-back

LEICESTER CITY and Southampton are reportedly plotting to launch bids for Valencia star Aymen Abdennour.

The centre-back was only afforded 13 La Liga games last season after failing to break up Ezequiel Garay’s parternship with Eliaquim Mangala.

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And Abdennour is now said to be on the hunt for first-team chances elsewhere.

Foot Mercato via GFFN claims Leicester and Southampton are both keen on snapping up the Tunisia international.

But the Premier League duo also face tough competition from super-rich Inter Milan, who have reportedly made a £44million bid for Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal.

Abdennour made a name for himself at Toulouse between 2011 and 2014 before earning a move to Monaco.

The 27-year-old’s first season at Valencia saw him make 35 league appearances in total, attracting interest from Chelsea.

It was revealed that the Blues made a last-ditch attempt to sign Abdennour last summer after missing out on a number of defensive targets including Kalidou Koulibaly and Alessandro Romagnoli.

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However, Chelsea managed to secure a deadline day return for David Luiz instead, leaving Abdennour in no man’s land.

But things went worse when he ended up on the Valencia bench for the entire season, with Manchester City loanee Mangala preferred alongside big-money signing Garay.

Abdennour knows he needs regular action after a quiet year and could soon be turning out in the English top flight for either Leicester or Southampton.

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