Leicester City completes Castagne signing

Belgian international, Timothy Castagne has signed a five-year contract with Premier League club, Leicester City. The Foxes agreed terms with the Bergamo club for the transfer of the full-back on Thursday (September 3), subject to Premier League and international clearance.

The 24-year-old Belgian international will link up with his new team-mates after the conclusion of the current international break. Capped seven times by his country, the full-back, who can operate on either side of defence, joined Serie A outfit Atalanta from Genk in 2017 and helped his team qualify for the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history with a third-place finish in Serie A.

During the 2019/20 season, Castagne played 35 times in all competitions as Atalanta finished third for the second year running and also featured on six occasions in the UEFA Champions League.  The Italian side enjoyed an impressive run to the quarter-finals of the competition, where they faced French side Paris Saint-Germain.

On the international stage, he represented Belgium at various youth levels and went on to make his debut for the senior side in a friendly against Scotland at Hampden Park in September 2018. His performances have since seen him earn a further six caps, including a first international goal in a UEFA European qualifier against Kazakhstan in June 2019.

Born in Arlon, he is a product of Genk’s youth system, and made his professional debut in the Belgian Pro League against Club Brugge in September 2014. Castagne’s debut for Genk came just a few months before that of Nigerian international, Wilfred Ndidi, with the two playing regularly together in the same side until the Nigerian international signed for the Foxes in January 2017.

The Belgian international spent three years with Genk before joining Atalanta and establishing himself as a regular with the Italian club, impressing both on the domestic and European stage. Castagne, alongside fellow international team-mates Youri Tielemans and Dennis Praet, is currently with the Belgium squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures.