Today news broke that Leicester were the favourites to sign 19 year old central defender, Ilari Kangasniemi from Inter Turku. Earlier in the week, Hannover 96 were seen as the front runners in this race for the Finnish two-metre-tall youngster. The note said the following; The defender has already caught the eye of former scout Peter Braund. He is regarded as one of his country’s greatest talents.
Former 96 scout Peter Braund (61) had already assessed Kangasniemi during a Finland U19 match against Ireland – and his assessment was positive. The compatriot of 96 striker Benjamin Källman is regarded as one of his country’s greatest talents. Furthermore, his profile fits 96’s requirements perfectly. He is known for his strength in the air and his accuracy in passing.
The risky part of this chase looks to be Leicester being able to offer a better deal for the young defender. The price to pay is said to be €2,3million. The player being valued to just 10% of that price by Transfermarkt.
Looking at him from different You Tube clips, he looks a decent player. He has played in European Conference games this summer, seen in action against Basaksehir, Vadus and Sarajevo to get through to play FC Copenhagen.
His age and the fact that he has played at Inter Milan academy, makes his description interesting. Having Kevon Gray at the club, being a year older, makes a bit difficult to understand. This is a move that hopefully will work, but his profile might be something far from what the club needs at this time. Playing in the back alongside an experienced defender can of course work, so hopefully this will be giving fuel straight away.
🚨🇫🇮 Leicester City are reportedly set to sign 6ft 6in Finnish talent Ilari Kangasniemi! 🦊👀
— CSN Football Videos (@csnfootballvids) August 24, 2026
The 19-year-old centre-back has enjoyed an impressive 2026 season with FC Inter Turku in the Veikkausliiga.
📊 2026
⚽ 4 Goals⁰🏟️ 24 Games⁰⏱️ 1,994 Minutes⁰🧤 11 Clean Sheets
📏… pic.twitter.com/NcfCuL7Aq1
Leicester are expected to get this move over the line and the potential and talent of Ilari Kangasniemi is exciting. He has experience from European competition this summer, and having his background at Inter Milan, will hopefully give Leicester reinforcement straight away. He is a tall player, with a good passing foot, and also have good pace, so this will be interesting to follow.
The move is expected to be happening this week, but no day set on the move, hopefully soon.
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