Football
ESPN staff 9y

Leicester sign N'Golo Kante from Caen but Charles Aranguiz not keen

Leicester City have signed midfielder N'Golo Kante from Caen for an undisclosed fee, but Bayer Leverkusen target Charles Aranguiz has said he does not want to join the Foxes.

Kante, who was also linked with Marseille, has signed a four-year contract at the King Power Stadium.

The 24-year-old Frenchman becomes new Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri's first signing, although Robert Huth, Christian Fuchs and Shinji Okazaki had joined prior to the Italian's arrival this summer.

The Leicester Mercury suggests the transfer fee is around €8 million (£5.6m).

Ranieri had said prior to the announcement of the deal that Leicester will sign "some good players" very soon, and Atalanta defender Yohan Benalouane has confirmed he is set to join.

However, Chile international Aranguiz has said he does not want to join Leicester and wants to join Bayer Leverkusen instead.

The 26-year-old, currently with Brazilian side Internacional, has reportedly attracted bids from both clubs, with Leicester said to have offered €15m and Leverkusen said to be willing to pay only €10m, according to the Rheinische Post.

However, Aranguiz has said he does not want to join the Foxes and plans to remain in Brazil if he cannot make his preferred move.

"I won't join this club [Leicester]," Aranguiz said in an interview on Brazilian network RBS TV. "Right now, I am in contact with Bayer only and prefer to make the move to Germany.

"I have an offer from Germany that appeals to me a lot. I think that I will make an important step in my career through that -- I hope those in charge will understand this sporting aspect."

"Should I not go there [Leverkusen], I will continue to be happy at Inter, just like my family."

ESPN FC's Germany correspondent, Stephan Uersfeld, contributed to this report.

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