Leicester City journalist Rob Tanner has given an interesting update when it comes to the future of Kelechi Iheanacho.
The Nigerian forward, valued at £13.5m on Transfermarkt, has been in sensational form of late, scoring 12 goals since the start of March, helping Leicester not only keep hold of their spot in the top four of the Premier League, but also helping them reach their first FA Cup final since 1969.
His form hasn’t gone unnoticed with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all reportedly showing an interest in his services. One team, though, that might have difficulty in signing him is his former club Manchester City. As Tanner explained on the 5000/1 podcast, they did have the chance to bring him back to the club for £50m but that chance has come and gone:
“And the timing of his form now is perfect for Leicester, because the buy-back clause that was inserted in the sale that took him from Man City, the £25m deal from Man City to Leicester, which meant Man City could have bought him back for £50m, they could have just triggered that at any stage, has now expired.
“So they can’t, Man City can’t go back for him now. He’d cost them a lot more money now. It was a very expensive buy-back anyway and obviously they wouldn’t have triggered that.”
Will Iheanacho replace Vardy in the future?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Rob Tanner’s news regarding Kelechi Iheanacho
It’s tough to know whether or not Leicester were even going to consider selling him to begin with, especially as he could still be the heir apparent to 34-year-old Jamie Vardy (Sky Sports, via The Daily Mail), but this situation does place them at a huge advantage.
Now they know that they can charge more than £50m for his services if a club does want to come in and take him, which should be enough to bring in a suitable replacement. Of course, if he maintains the form that he’s in, then they’d be daft to even consider selling him. Either way, it’s a win-win for the Foxes.
In other news: ‘One of the possible targets’ – Journalist namedrops £9m-rated ‘solution’ for Leicester