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Leicester City are 'still watching' Schalke centre-back Salif Sane after making a summer enquiry for the Senegalese international, reports have said.

City searched high and low for a new central defender in August after selling Harry Maguire to Manchester United for a club-record £80m.

LeicestershireLive understands City had a £30m offer for Burnley’s James Tarkowski turned down, while contact was made with Bournemouth over Nathan Ake. There were also reports of interest in Juventus’s Merih Demiral, before they settled with their current options, Caglar Soyuncu promoted to partner Jonny Evans.

Now, the Athletic say City asked about the availability of Schalke's Sane in the summer and retain an interest as they look to sign a centre-back in January.

However, a move for the defender in the winter window is extremely unlikely after the 29-year-old underwent a knee operation at the start of November. Sane is expected to be sidelined for four months while he recovers from surgery on a torn meniscus.

Before his knee injury, Sane, in his second season at Schalke, had played 10 matches for the club, scoring twice. In his debut campaign, he helped them to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.

Standing at 6ft 5in, Sane is renowned for his ability in the air and he ranks top among Bundesliga defenders for aerial duels won per match this season.