Exclusive: 7 players by almost certain to leave Leicester City this summer as Foxes face major battle to keep star players with PL relegation looming
With just one round of game left to play in the 2022-23 season, Leicester City are currently focused on their Premier League survival bid.
Having picked up 31 points from 37 league games, the Foxes are languishing in the relegation zone with two points separating them from safety. Dean Smith replaced Brendan Rodgers as Leicester boss earlier last month, and he has been tasked with keeping the club in the top flight.
However things doesn’t look so good for the Foxes who do not have their relegation fate in their own hands anymore and there are a number of players that could head out the exit door at the King Power this summer.
Here, We looks at seven players that could leave the King Power Stadium at the end of the season.
Youri Tielemans
Since arriving from Monaco in the summer of 2019, Youri Tielemans has established himself as a key part of the Leicester side, scoring 28 goals and providing 25 assists in 195 games.
Tielemans is unlikely to reach 200 Leicester appearances though, with his contract set to expire in June. The Foxes have held talks over a new deal, but the Belgium international is yet to put pen to paper on a contract, and as a result, he is expected to leave on a free transfer.
The midfielder has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and Newcastle United, while there is also said to be interest from Italian side Roma.
Despite coming towards the end of his Leicester career, Tielemans is focused on helping Leicester in their relegation fight and he will not decide his next destination until the summer.
James Maddison
Leicester reportedly rejected a £50m bid from Newcastle United for James Maddison last summer, ensuring the midfielder remained at the club, where he has continued to be a key player.
The England international has registered double figures in goals and assists this season. Even if Leicester preserve their Premier League status, they may find it difficult to retain Maddison’s services this summer.
The 26-year-old is set to enter the final 12 months of his contract, and the Foxes will want to avoid losing him on a free transfer in 2024.
Newcastle are still showing an interest, and he is believed to be among Eddie Howe’s top three transfer targets for the summer transfer window, but the Magpies could face competition from the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, who have also been linked.
Unlike last summer, there is a suggestion that Leicester will accept an offer of £50m for Maddison with just a year left to run on his current deal.
Caglar Soyuncu
After spending five years with the Foxes, Caglar Soyuncu will depart to Atletico Madrid on a free transfer when his contract expires in the summer. Soyuncu has featured in 130 games for Leicester, but he has spent the majority of the 2022-23 campaign in the wilderness after being frozen out by Rodgers.
The centre-back has returned to the fold since Smith’s arrival, playing the duration of Leicester’s last few games. Despite being brought back into the first-team fold, Soyuncu will leave at the end of the season, to sign for La Liga giants Atletico Madrid.
Kelechi Iheanacho
Another attacker who has proven his worth time and again in the top flight is Kelechi Iheanacho, who showed his desire to play regular football by leaving Manchester City and joining Leicester all those years ago.
But the minutes haven’t always been readily available given the presence of the likes of Jamies Vardy and Patson Daka. However, Iheanacho doesn’t need long on the pitch to show he knows how to find the back of the net in the Premier League.
The striker would not be short of suitors this summer and is likely to head out the exit door if the Foxes suffer relegation.
Harvey Barnes
Harvey Barnes is another who could have left the club in recent times but decided to stay on and help them get back to their best. But again, if the Foxes go down, Barnes deserves to remain in the division and ply his trade at a top side, with both Newcastle and Tottenham once again reportedly in the running for his signature.
The 25-year-old is definitely one of the most dangerous wingers in the Premier League on his day, with the attacker on double figures for goals this season. He will want to improve his assists tally, but that can be achieved at a club fighting for trophies rather than for relegation.
Ryan Betrand
Ryan Bertrand may not have another club lined up but he is almost certain to be let go by City after a disappointing two-year spell.
It started bright in the left-back’s first pre-season, but underwhelming performances and a series injury has not seen him feature for 18 months, with another left-back in Victor Kristiansen signed in January.
Jannik Vestergaard
Eighteen months after joining the club from Southampton for an undisclosed fee, Jannik Vestergaard could head out the exit door at the King Power Stadium.
Vestergaard has not featured in the Premier League this season, and he has had to settle for just three appearances in the domestic cup competitions. In March, the defender criticised his treatment by Rodgers in an unauthorised interview with a Danish publication, and he was subsequently banished from the first-team squad by the former Leicester boss.
Smith was set to bring Vestergaard back into the fold before he sustained an injury, which will keep him out for the rest of the season. Vestergaard, who was linked with a move to Fulham last summer, is set to enter the final 12 months of his deal, and he could be allowed to move onto fresh pastures at the end of the campaign.
