Harry Souttar moves from Stoke to Leicester City in English Premier League transfer deal

Harry Souttar, a Socceroos star, will compete in the English Premier League after Leicester City announced it signed the 24-year-old defender on the final day of the transfer window.The Midlands club confirmed the deal from Championship side Stoke City shortly after the January transfer deadline.Southampton also piqued the interest of West Ham and Wolves, but Leicester ultimately prevailed.According to BBC Sport, Leicester are said to have a verbal agreement with Championship outfit Stoke, and Souttar will join the top-flight squad in a move of 15 million pounds ($26 million).That is a Socceroos player transfer record, exceeding the sum spent by Huddersfield for Aaron Mooy.Brendan Rodgers, the team's manager, would benefit greatly from the addition of Souttar after watching his squad concede goals in a lacklustre Premier League campaign this year.Due to the fact that Souttar was a previous member of the Dundee United academy, the Scottish Premier League team is also anticipated to gain from the transfer.The 24-year-old gained notoriety during the World Cup in Qatar, when he was a pillar of the Socceroos' defence.Graham Arnold's squad lost to eventual winners Argentina 2-1 in the round of 16, but not before Souttar and his colleagues, who never gave up, gave Lionel Messi's team a serious fright.Souttar's last-ditch tackle to stop Tunisia from scoring during Australia's 1-0 group stage victory was one of the pivotal moments of the Socceroos' campaign.When asked about the tackle, Souttar said to KeepUp, "The first thing that came to mind was I'm not going to allow him go inside the box.I was essentially just going to try and take [him] out whether I had the ball or not.Scottish-born Souttar has competed for his country at the U17 and U19 levels.But because his mother was born in Port Hedland, Western Australia, he was eligible to play for the Socceroos.Just days after stepping foot in Australia for the first time, the 198-centimeter defender earned his Socceroos debut in 2019.He tore his ACL playing for the Socceroos in November 2021, putting his chances of representing Australia at the 2022 World Cup in jeopardy.Souttar returned to the field just in time for the World Cup, when he shone despite having little competitive experience.