Yahoo News Leicester City transfer state of play with smart deals required in key position
The transfer window is officially open, but don't expect a Leicester City spending spree to begin right away.
In the words of their former manager Enzo Maresca, a "low-key" summer of business is expected at the King Power Stadium. That's not to say there won't be any new faces at the club before the new campaign, but smart deals both in and out are required.
Recruitment chief Martyn Glover and the scouting team will be working hard to identify targets while the club works to bring in a new manager. But which positions will they be focusing on? Here's a run through the sort of business expected at City this summer.
READ MORE: Leicester City target centre-back picked out by Brendan Rodgers four years ago
READ MORE: What Graham Potter has already said about Jamie Vardy and Leicester City
Who could stay and who could go
City offered clarity on the status of their squad last Friday after announcing that Jamie Vardy and Jannik Vestergaard had signed new contracts at the club, while also confirming that Marc Albrighton, Dennis Praet, and Kelechi Iheanacho would be heading for the exit. The only question mark now is over Wilfred Ndidi and whether he agrees to extend his stay.
With contracts mostly sorted, the focus turns to sales. City were placed under a transfer embargo by the EFL because they were deemed to be on course for a breach of Profit and Sustainability rules (PSR) and perhaps the only option they have left to balance the books in time for the end of the accounting period on June 30 is to sell.
It’s not known how much profit City need to make to ensure they comply with the regulations, but that they need to offload players puts their best talents at risk. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is comfortably the most profitable player in the squad and Maresca expected Premier League interest in him. Mads Hermansen, James Justin, and Wout Faes could also be targeted and could generate fees big enough to go in the books as profit.
When Maresca was in charge, it was easy to identify the players who were surplus to requirements. But while Danny Ward, Daniel Iversen, Harry Souttar, Victor Kristiansen, Luke Thomas, and Boubakary Soumare looked set for an exit under the former manager, their futures are now uncertain, as the new manager may see qualities in them that could make his tactics work.
Where City will be looking to strengthen
When it comes to improving the squad, the midfield looks to be the area requiring the most attention. With Praet leaving, with Yunus Akgun not returning after his loan spell, and with Ndidi's future up in the air, City are down to just one advanced midfielder, and there's no guarantee Dewsbury-Hall stays either.
Even if the new manager does not set up in the same way, City are going to need a couple of forward-thinking midfielders. Because even if Ndidi stays, it may be that he reverts to operating in a defensive role now that City are playing at a higher level.
It would help massively if Will Alves shows in pre-season that he's capable of at least being a back-up in that area of the pitch, but a Premier League-quality feels like a necessity. Given the qualities needed to be a top-level attacking midfielder, that is likely to be the most expensive deal City do this summer.
One transfer City are expected to complete is for Abdul Fatawu. He is on course to make his move from Sporting Lisbon permanent for around £14.5m, but another new winger would come in handy, giving further competition to the Ghanaian, Stephy Mavididi, and Kasey McAteer.
A left-footed defender would have been high on Maresca's wishlist, what with Callum Doyle going back to Manchester City, but that may not be a concern now. In fact, with Ricardo Pereira, Justin, Kristiansen, Thomas, and Hamza Choudhury available to play at full-back, and with Vestergaard, Faes, Souttar, Conor Coady and Ben Nelson as options at centre-back, City have good numbers in the defence. The question will be whether Premier League-quality additions are needed.
That's the same situation up front. City have three strikers in Vardy, Patson Daka, and Tom Cannon. Very few managers play with two up top these days, so trio of forwards would be enough. But are any good enough to lead the line regularly and fire City to survival? That's a big decision the club will have to make. Because if they want a new striker, that's going to be very costly.
