Midfielder James Maddison leads the list of 10 players who could find a new destination in the summer of 2023, after Leicester were relegated from the Premier League.
According to the British newspaper Daily Mirror , Leicester valued Maddison at around $60 million and could ask for a higher price if many clubs made inquiries. The disadvantage of the "Leaf" in this deal is that the English midfielder only has one year left on his contract and wants to leave because the club will play in the Championship next season.
Newcastle is the most potential destination, when sporting director Dan Ashworth even attended the Leicester vs Liverpool match at King Power Stadium on May 15 to "watch" Maddison.
Maddison - Leicester's number one star - applauded the fans after the 2-1 win over West Ham in round 38 of the Premier League on May 28. Photo: Reuters
Tottenham are also interested in the 26-year-old midfielder to strengthen their midfield, having finished eighth in the Premier League and failed to qualify for the European Cup. Arsenal were closely following Maddison, but may give up in favour of signing Declan Rice - a midfielder who West Ham are asking for more than $120 million.
In addition to Maddison, Leicester could sell two key players Harvey Barnes and Wilfred Ndidi to balance their finances after being relegated from the Premier League. Transfermarkt currently values the Leciester duo at $35 million.
The King Power Stadium owners will also say goodbye to seven players out of contract, including Caglar Soyuncu, Jonny Evans, Daniel Amartey, Ryan Bertrand, Papy Mendy, Ayoze Perez and Youri Tielemans. Meanwhile, the future of Jamie Vardy - the 36-year-old English striker who has one year left on his contract - is unclear.
Of the names mentioned, Tielemans scored the only goal to help Leicester beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final two seasons ago and was the most highly rated player. However, the Belgian midfielder is no longer sought after after a poor season with Leicester.
Mirror commented that saying goodbye to these stars will help Leicester free up most of their salary fund. But on the other hand, "The Foxes" also need to spend and invest reasonably if they want to return to the Premier League soon.
In the 2022-2023 Premier League, Leicester only finished 18th with 34 points, two points behind Everton. A 2-1 victory over West Ham in the final round was not enough to help them stay in the top league in the foggy country.
After the match, chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha announced that he took responsibility, apologized to fans and said he had received abusive and insulting messages asking him to sell the club. But the Thai businessman also received messages of support and considered this as motivation to "accelerate the recovery process and return to the Premier League".
This is the 12th time Leicester have been relegated from the top flight - a record in English football. They spent 10 consecutive years in the First Division before returning to the Premier League in 2014. Since then, Leicester have finished as low as 14th and culminated in winning the title in 2016 with the likes of Jamie Vardy, Riyah Mahrez, Wes Mogan and N'Golo Kante.
Hong Duy
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