Leicester round-up: Vardy’s release clause exploited? Arsenal winger reportedly linked

Leicester City had the best season of their history last time out, shocking the world to lift the Premier League trophy. Although their chances of retaining their title are small, they should look to build from a position of strength. They were lucky with injuries this season and will need to add quality to deal with the extra matches that will come with qualifying for the Champions League. This is the latest round up of transfer speculation regarding the Foxes.

The  are reporting quotes from Sporting manager Jorge Jesus that suggest a club will be getting a bargain if they opt to activate the €30 million release clause.

“I know it’s important that Slimani continues, but also that it is important to sell a player for 30 million euros. Sporting is not used to making these deals. At present, 30 million for a player like Slimani is nothing.”

Leicester have been linked with the Algerian forward over the last few weeks, while the report suggests that Tottenham Hotspur are the favourites to land the player. He is a great goal-scorer, who has outgrown the Portuguese league with 27 goals this year and appears to favour a move to the Premier League. At 27 years of age, he may not be a long term option, but he would instantly provide Champions League ability and would surely be an upgrade on Shinji Okazaki.

In the past few days, the club have been linked with a move for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the appearing to be the main source of the story. He will be available this summer after a disappointing season and he would add Champions League experience to the Leicester City squad. He managed to contribute one goal this season and failed to get even one assist.

The 22-year-old possesses bundles of talent, but he needs regular game time to fulfil his potential, which is why the Foxes could be the perfect move. There will also be the opportunity of making a profit on the winger in years to come, so it would be a smart piece of business for Claudio Ranieri and the board.

In terms of outgoings, it is not surprising to see their key players being linked with moves away after they lit up the league this season. The is reporting that top scorer Jamie Vardy is available to Champions League clubs for a price of £20 million – a release clause included in the new contract he signed a few months ago. The report also mentions the club’s intention to agree new deals with both N’Golo Kanté and Riyad Mahrez to try to keep both at the club.

The clause in Jamie Vardy’s contract is interesting as there will be interest across Europe, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea being linked. The forward has reiterated his desire to stay and fight with the club, but if he has a good Euro 2016, Leicester may find it hard to keep the in-form 29-year-old.

The  is reporting that two other first team members are in line for new contracts in the coming weeks. Danny Drinkwater and Robert Huth have both been superb this term and deserve a pay rise.  The former has been linked with a £14 million move to Liverpool in recent days, which must be at least partly why Leicester are so keen to tie him down to a new deal. Both fit perfectly into the Leicester City team and they would be brave to move away from the club, especially as both are set to be starters in the Champions League next season.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by