Defender Hernandez signs for Leicester on a four-year deal
(Reuters) - Defender Luis Hernandez has joined Leicester City on a free transfer from La Liga side Sporting Gijon on a four-year contract, the Premier League champions said on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old, who made almost 140 appearances during his four-year spell with Gijon, heavily featured for the Spanish side this season, making 36 starts as the club narrowly escaped relegation.
Hernandez becomes Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri's second signing of the close season, following the capture of German keeper Ron-Robert Zieler from Hannover, as he hopes to build a squad ready to defend their league title.
With the Foxes set to embark upon their first-ever Champions League campaign, the addition of Hernandez will provide competition to the first-choice centre-back pairing, Wes Morgan and Robert Huth.
A statement on Leicester City’s official website reads:
Leicester City Football Club are delighted to announce that Spanish defender Luis Hernandez will join on a four-year deal, starting on 1 July, 2016.The 27-year-old will join the Premier League champions on a free transfer after his contract with La Liga outfit Sporting Gijon expires.The central defender is a product of the Real Madrid youth academy, having represented the club’s B and C sides before a move to Sporting Gijon in 2012, where he soon established himself as a starter.
(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)