Champions League qualification adds intrigue to Leicester City’s ‘fantastic’ summer transfer window

There is even more incentive for Victor Kristiansen to want to stay at Bologna now.

This weekend, the Leicester City left-back helped his loan club qualify for the Champions League in one of the stories of the season in Italy. Bologna beat reigning champions Napoli 2-0 for an eighth consecutive game unbeaten before Roma lost to Atalanta.

That means Bologna are guaranteed a top-five finish, and Italy receiving one of the extra spots for the new Champions League format next season means their place is assured. It is Bologna’s first time in Europe since playing in the Uefa Cup in 1999-2000 and first time in the continent’s top competition since 1964-65.

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And Kristiansen was a key player in their success. He has started 25 of Bologna’s 34 Serie A matches since officially arriving on loan, and they have kept clean sheets in more than half of those. He also contributed four assists.

There is a temptation to believe that Bologna may want to keep their squad together to attack the Champions League, meaning their qualification makes it more likely that they will opt to sign Kristiansen on a permanent deal in the summer, with an option to £13m purchase reported in Dane’s Loan Agreement. However, they may also feel that having Champions League football on offer opens up a new market of players they can attract.

What could help Kristiansen’s cause is Thiago Motta’s fondness for him. City saw that commitment and work rate from the 21-year-old during his short time at the King Power Stadium and Motta likes it too.

The former Barcelona, ​​Inter Milan and PSG midfielder said of Kristiansen last month: “He’s a fantastic boy. I like his attitude when he loses the ball because it’s similar to mine when I was 16 and at Barcelona, ​​reacting after the mistake, trying to get the ball back. That’s fantastic, that’s what I want to see. I am very happy.”

Even with City in the Premier League, Kristiansen is unlikely to want to return. It wasn’t City’s relegation to the Championship that made him leave in despair, but rather Enzo Maresca’s plans for him.

As part of his system, Maresca wanted Kristiansen to play like Callum Doyle and James Justin this season, starting at full-back but then dropping into the back three when City were in possession. But Kristiansen wasn’t a fan of the idea.

He said on his arrival at Bologna: “When Leicester changed managers they wanted me to play as a centre-back but I preferred to continue playing in my role. I told my agent that I have to change teams to be a defender.”

While Maresca may make small adjustments for the new campaign, he is unlikely to stray from his tried and tested setup. A sale seems more likely then than a reintegration into the team.

If that’s the case, City will be hoping to get something straight so that the business comes into their accounts for this season and limits the chances of breaches of profit and sustainability rules. But that could be difficult, with Kristiansen expected to be at the Euros with Denmark throughout June.

Would you like to see Kristiansen brought back into the City fold? Let us know in the comments section below.