Leicester City would have begrudgingly accepted Chelsea's advances for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall when a bumper bid came in for their star midfielder, with the 25-year-old linking back up with ex-Foxes boss Enzo Maresca by moving to Stamford Bridge.
The reigning second-tier title winners will aim to find a replacement for Dewsbury-Hall swiftly now, as new Leicester boss Steve Cooper is faced with the tough task of filling the void left behind by their former homegrown product's exit to West London.
They could already have a target in mind, if reports are to be believed, with a transfer tussle potentially heating up with a fellow Premier League club for this gem's services.
Leicester looking at Benfica star
According to a recent report by Portuguese outlet Record, Leicester are readying a proposal for Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis this off-season, which could trouble Everton's long-standing interest.
It has previously been reported that the Toffees have even bid in the region of £25.5m for Luis' services back in May, with Cooper and Co now able to compete potentially, as a result of Dewsbury-Hall's sale adding £30m to the bank.
Sean Dyche's men are looking at Luis arguably to fill gaps in their own midfield, particularly if Amadou Onana is to move on from Goodison Park this summer, but the Foxes will hope they can advance to the front of the queue regardless, to quickly stitch up the wounds of their star 25-year-old's exit by winning the Benfica man.
What Luis could offer Leicester
Making 19 Champions League appearances in total whilst being on the books of the Portuguese giants, this move could be viewed as a coup if pulled off from the newly promoted side's perspective, and the best possible solution after Dewsbury-Hall's departure.
More of a defensively sound player than Dewsbury-Hall, with his position at Benfica often seeing him operate from a holding role, he could strike up an effective partnership with Harry Winks upon his arrival to England, as Leicester aim to be way above the drop-zone next season.
Leicester might well need more defensively resilient figures in their squad like Luis – who was once described as being "exceptional" by former coach Rui Vitoria for his battling nature when traversing the difficult step back up to the Premier League, with the top division an often unforgiving beast for newly promoted teams.
Across the last year for Benfica, as per FBRef, Luis has won 4.23 tackles on average per match, as well as making 2.63 interceptions, with the 24-year-old more than content with being a disruptive presence for his team, as opposed to constantly bombarding forward.
Shots total
0.64
0.67
Shot-creating actions
1.71
2.34
Passes attempted
73.93
89.13
Pass completion %
88.9%
93.1%
Progressive passes
7.61
6.64
Progressive carries
0.59
1.65
Successful take-ons
0.32
0.67
Progressive passes received
1.07
1.20
Tackles
4.23
1.63
Interceptions
2.63
0.82
Blocks
1.93
0.76
Aerials won
1.34
0.42
Unlike his new potential teammate, who shines digging deep for his side as can be seen glancing at the table above, Winks excelled in the Championship as a measured head playing out from the back, and so the pair could complement each other well.
Winks could find his moment in the spotlight for the Foxes comes in the Premier League, with Dewsbury-Hall often stealing the plaudits in the second-tier from the centre of the park, with the former Tottenham Hotspur man's experience of the top-flight crucial in Leicester staying afloat this season to come.
Losing the homegrown product was always going to be a gutting development, especially when you consider his 26 goal contributions in the league were crucial as the Foxes lifted the Championship title, but Cooper and Co will have targets in mind to soften this almighty blow, with Luis touted to move to the King Power Stadium.
Leicester struck gold on star who was worth even more than Dewsbury-Hall
Leicester City have sold many of their stars on for great profit over the years.
ByKelan Sarson
