Premier League champions Leicester City look set to lose their star striker Jamie Vardy to last season’s runners-up Arsenal, with the Gunners having triggered a release clause in his contract.
Weeks after their remarkable Premier League title triumph, Leicester City are already being gunned down by rivals looking to lure their players away from the King Power Stadium. Jamie Vardy looks set to make Arsenal his new home as he edges closer to completing a deal that will seal his switch to the Emirates. Vardy signed a contract extension with the Foxes back in February that included a release clause of £22 million, which the Gunners have sought to exploit.
£22 million is a good return on a striker who arrived for a fee of just £1 million from Fleetwood Town. However, the Sun claim that the Foxes are set to lose £6.8 million on Vardy’s sale to his former club, who included a sell-on clause when they sold their striker in 2012. As such, Fleetwood Town have reason to be excited by Vardy’s potential sale to Arsenal.
With three years still left to run on his contract, Vardy will have an important decision to make on his return from the Euros. A lucrative £120,000-a-week contract tabled by the Gunners seems to have tempted the striker, who back in February, pledged his long-term future to the Foxes.
The 29-year-old, who netted 24 goals in all competitions for Leicester last season, will be a great addition to an Arsenal side that missed that level of devastating finishing ability up front during numerous occasions last season. With Olivier Giroud’s inconsistent form and Danny Welbeck’s persistent injury woes, Vardy will get plenty of opportunities to showcase his abilities. The England international will give the Gunners the edge they need up front to make full use of the quality service from the likes of Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla, Granit Xhaka, Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey.
What lies ahead for Leicester City?
It was inevitable that Claudio Ranieri’s side would be raided by the big teams in the Premier League following their incredible triumph last season. And with the club preparing to lose their star striker Jamie Vardy, the Foxes need to come up with replacements if they are to challenge for the title once more and compete in the Champions League next season. The Foxes have reportedly turned to 27-year-old Islam Slimani, Riyad Mahrez’s international team-mate, as a possible replacement.
With a reputation for pulling off terrific signings with a limited budget, Jamie Vardy’s sale shouldn’t mean the end of the world for the Foxes, who have big things to look forward to next season, and also have the money to attract players. Having already signed goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zeiler from Hannover, the club will look to dig deep in the transfer market to unearth the next diamond..
