'Huge profit' – The transfer status of every Leicester City player
While the focus is on incomings for the final week of the January transfer window, exits are not out of the question either.
A few players could yet say goodbye to the King Power Stadium, though they would more likely be temporary, with loans easier to thrash out than permanent deals. With that in mind, we have taken a look at every City player’s future, whether for this month or the summer, when the club’s Premier League status will have a big say.
Goalkeepers
Whether City stay up or not, summer interest in Mads Hermansen feels inevitable and a departure very possible. He proved in the few months prior to his injury that he is comfortably of Premier League quality, producing some astounding saves, while he showed off his excellence with his feet last season.
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Given Enzo Maresca knows how good he is, and given Robert Sanchez's wobbles this season, Chelsea interest is expected. While losing a player of Hermansen’s quality would be a blow, City at least know that, in the event of a sale, they would make a huge profit on the £6.5m they paid for the Dane.
Of City’s other goalkeepers, Jakub Stolarczyk is likely to stay and may even be a contender for number one should the club go down to the Championship. Then, while neither Daniel Iversen nor Danny Ward are expected to leave during the January window, both are out of contract in the summer and extensions seem unlikely.
Full-backs
The arrival of Woyo Coulibaly does threaten Luke Thomas’s place in the squad. The new signing can play in both full-back roles, as can James Justin, and so Thomas may lose his spot on the bench.
Game-time had already been limited, with his decent showing in place of Victor Kristiansen at Aston Villa not rewarded with follow-up outings, and so a loan exit is not out of the question. He would hope to have more joy than he had at Sheffield United and Middlesbrough last term.
For Justin and Ricardo Pereira, while they will only have 12 months left on their contracts this summer, they would be expected to stay if City survive. Perhaps if City are relegated, Ricardo may return to Europe.
That could be true for Kristiansen too. He would be expected to stay if City remain in the Premier League, but the last time they dropped down, he went to Bologna for the year, and a similar move may materialise in that instance.
For Coulibaly, he would be extremely likely to stay no matter which division City are in. The Frenchman signed a four-and-a-half year contract this month.
Centre-backs
Caleb Okoli has not started a single game since van Nistelrooy took charge and has been consistently linked with a move away this month. A loan switch is not out of the question, but a new centre-back would need to arrive first.
There’s been a lot of talk around Wout Faes’ future too. A January exit seems unlikely, especially now he’s in the starting line-up, but a summer transfer may be in the offing if a decent bid comes in, especially if City are in the Championship.
Having signed a new three-year deal last summer, it doesn’t feel likely that Jannik Vestergaard is going anywhere any time soon. Conor Coady will have one year left on his deal this summer and would probably stay if regular first-team football was guaranteed.
Deep-lying midfielders
A January move to Sheffield United is on the cards for Hamza Choudhury. Should he do well there on loan, it may signal an end to a near-20-year association with his boyhood club.
Wilfred Ndidi had been linked with loan interest from Monaco but van Nistelrooy is adamant he is not going anywhere this month. City would be in a strong position to keep him in the summer too, the Nigerian signing a new three-year deal last summer.
If City fall into the Championship it would be easy to see both Harry Winks and Boubakary Soumare depart, particularly the latter, who did well on loan at Sevilla last term. Oli Skipp joined City on a five-year deal last term and won’t be going anywhere.
Attacking midfielders/wingers
While Facundo Buonanotte is at City for the season, a permanent move this summer is not likely. Brighton want him back in their squad.
It’s hard to see Bilal El Khannouss, if he keeps up his current level of performance, playing in the Championship next season, and so he would be a contender to be sold if City go down. However, if City stay up and plenty of cash is made from Hermansen’s potential exit, then El Khannouss may stick around.
Abdul Fatawu feels like another player who is too good for the Championship, but his ACL injury means he will still be in rehab this summer, and that effectively cancels out a transfer. On the other wing, Stephy Mavididi’s future is difficult to decipher. He could stay with City no matter where they are next season.
That would likely be true too for Bobby De Cordova-Reid, who signed a three-year deal last summer. But a top-flight club may fancy a punt on Jordan Ayew if City go down, the Ghanaian showing he can come up with the goods in big moments.
Kasey McAteer had been linked away from the club in the summer, but van Nistelrooy seems to like him, so an exit is unlikely, especially if no new winger arrives. Will Alves could yet be loaned out to get him better prepared for a role in City’s first team next season.
Strikers
Jamie Vardy is not likely to retire, so it will be a matter of whether he continues at City or goes elsewhere. Out of contract in the summer, he may finally bow out at the King Power Stadium in the event of relegation, but City will have a big choice to make over his contract if they stay up. Even at 38, Vardy has contributed plenty this term.
Unless Patson Daka kicks on over the next few months, the move he came extremely close to in 2023 may materialise this summer. City would like to say bye to Odsonne Edouard now, so they can open up another Premier League loan spot, but they’re first waiting to see if another side will take him off their hands in the way of a sale by Crystal Palace.
