Socceroos defender Harry Souttar will reportedly join Premier League club Leicester City after the club agreed to a record transfer fee for an Australian player.
The World Cup star will join the 2015-16 champions after Leicester agreed to a $26 million transfer fee, plus $8.7 million in add-ons, according to the BBC.
The 24-year-old’s move from Stoke eclipses the previous highest transfer fee for an Australian, when Huddersfield paid a reported $17m for Aaron Mooy.
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Souttar will now undergo a medical at the Foxes before the deal is finalised.
Born in Scotland, Souttar has played 13 matches for the Socceroos since making his debut in 2019, and was one of the side’s best players at the recent World Cup in Qatar.
Meanwhile, AP reports Italian international Jorginho will join Arsenal from Chelsea for a reported $21 million, a deadline-day move that gives the Premier League leaders an extra option in midfield in their bid to win a first top-flight title since 2004.
Arsenal made a late move in the transfer window to strengthen its central-midfield department, with Mohamed Elneny — a backup to first-choice holding midfielder Thomas Partey — ruled out for a lengthy period because of injury.
Jorginho, who helped Italy win the European Championship in 2021, spent more than four years at Chelsea after joining from Napoli. He was no longer a regular player at Chelsea under manager Graham Potter.
Chelsea recouped some money having spent around $318 million on new players in the January transfer window.
Arsenal leads the league by five points ahead of second-place Manchester City and has a game in hand.
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