Soccer-Leicester will sign Ghanaian Amartey from Copenhagen

COPENHAGEN, Jan 18 (Reuters) – Premier League side Leicester City have agreed to sign Ghanaian midfielder Daniel Amartey from FC Copenhagen, the Danish club said on Monday. Amartey, 21, played 63 times for Copenhagen after joining Swedish side Djurgarden in 2014, with his performances prompting a bid from surprise packages Leicester, who sit second in England’s top flight. “This transfer is of a size we couldn’t say no to, and overall it’s best for FC Copenhagen,” FC Copenhagen chief executive Anders Hoersholt said in a statement. “From day one, Daniel was an ideal player and a key player for us and he developed explosively and much faster than anyone could have predicted.” Although not a prolific goalscorer, Amartey is a powerful and versatile midfielder who can also play in defence. A member of Ghana’s team that finished as runners-up at last year’s Africa Cup of Nations, Amartey was discovered by current Estonia coach Magnus Pehrsson, who was managing Djurgarden at the time, and arranged for the player to sign when he turned 18. Copenhagen said in a statement to Denmark’s stock exchange that the deal was worth about 34 million Danish kroner ($4.96 million). ($1 = 6.8527 Danish kroner) (Reporting by Philip O’Connor Editing by Ed Osmond)