Leicester City stars reassigned due to FFP: Man Utd land £25m target, Newcastle solve defensive crisis
Leicester City are the latest club in FFP hot water after following Everton and Nottingham Forest in breaching Profit and Sustainability rules.
Enzo Maresca’s side returned to winning ways on Easter Monday against Watford to get their promotion tilt back on track, but a summer fire sale could ruin the positive vibes brought about by a potential immediate Premier League return.
The Telegraph‘s John Percy recently revealed that the Foxes are ‘under pressure to sell players this summer’ even if they get promoted, while they are facing a points deduction next season after being charged for their PSR breach.
So while Leicester were ‘too good to go down’ last season and have been among the standout teams in the Championship this term, Maresca is at risk of losing a couple of his best players in the summer and this will make their return campaign in the Premier League way more difficult than he would have hoped.
It will surely be to the relief of Foxes supporters that we’ve kindly reassigned five of their priciest assets (fees taken from transfermarkt) to Premier League clubs, with Manchester United and Newcastle United among the teams to profit from Leicester’s misdemeanours…
Patson Daka (£12m) – AFC Bournemouth
Previously linked with Manchester United and Manchester City, Daka – who was a prolific goalscorer for RB Salzburg – did not reach previous lofty heights in the Premier League as he was regularly behind Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho in the pecking order at The King Power Stadium.
This was also the case during the opening few months of this season after a proposed summer move to Bournemouth fell through on deadline day. But credit needs to go to Daka, who has taken his opportunity with both hands after injuries to Vardy and Iheanacho afforded him a rare run in the first-team.
The Zambia international has seven goals and four assists in his 15 Championship appearances this term and during an interview with The Athletic in February, he insisted that he would return to the Premier League as a “different player” following his experiences in the division below.
And Daka could show he is a “different player” at Bournemouth, who could renew their interest in the 25-year-old with 16-goal forward Dominic Solanke potentially on the move.
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Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£25m) – Manchester United
Leicester City star man Dewsbury-Hall is the player they can make the most money from this summer, with transfermarkt likely under-pegging his valuation as the 25-year-old has been tipped to cost £40m this summer.
Having previously gone under the radar compared to James Maddison and Harvey Barnes, the drop to the Championship has allowed Dewsbury-Hall to show his class and he has been sensational for the title-chasers.
The midfielder has stepped up for the Foxes in moments of need and 24 goal involvements in 38 games is a stunning tally for a player in his position.
Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur are already being mentioned as potential destinations for Dewsbury-Hall in the summer but Man Utd are also understood to be keen. With co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said to be emphasising signing English talent, the new-look Old Trafford recruitment structure could do a lot worse than look at the Foxes star (and Jarrad Branthwaite) as a priority summer addition.
Wout Faes (£17m) – Newcastle United
Leicester City’s lack of transfer activity last season contributed to their downfall last season as Faes was one of only three players to join the Foxes for fees during their relegation campaign.
Faes has proven to be a worthwhile signing for Leicester as he was one of their better performers last season and he has remained an integral figure following their relegation from the Premier League.
Despite competing with summer signings Conor Coady and Callum Doyle, Faes has earned Maresca’s trust and has featured in all but three of Leicester City’s Championship games this term.
If Faes were to move on, it is easy to see him heading to St James’ Park, especially amid Newcastle United’s ongoing injury crisis. With centre-backs Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles suffering serious knee injuries, the low-cost addition of Faes would be a welcome remedy for Eddie Howe’s selection headaches.
Harry Winks (£10m) – Everton
Leicester buying Winks from Tottenham Hotspur was one of the coups of last summer’s transfer window as this signing firmed up the theory that Maresca’s side would be the team to beat in the Championship this season.
We expected Winks to sign for a lowly Premier League team and tipped the England international to be a class above the rest in the Championship and this has proven to be the case.
The 28-year-old has only missed one league game this season as his selfless work rate has enabled Dewsbury-hall and Leicester’s abundance of attacking options to take most of the limelight.
Winks’ Tottenham career did not end as he would have intended but his valuable learning experience in Serie A with Sampdoria rejuvenated him upon his return to England and most bottom-half Premier League sides would surely be happy to have him in their squad.
He joined Sampdoria on loan during the 2022 summer window but before this move came about, Frank Lampard’s Everton wanted him but a £20m deal did not end up being completed. They could get him for around half of that fee now…
Stephy Mavididi (£9.5m) – West Ham United
Speaking of transfer coups, Leicester invested around £6.5m to sign winger Mavididi from Ligue Un outfit Montpellier last summer and he has already proven to be a bargain.
The former Arsenal academy product returned to England last year after cutting his teeth in Europe with Juventus, Dijon and Montpellier. Like many others, the 25-year-old has benefitted from honing his graft away from the limelight and he’s taken the Championship by storm this season.
Mavididi has contributed with eleven goals and five assists this term and he’s ready to become a regular in the Premier League.
West Ham are already spoilt for choice in attacking areas with the frightening combination of Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, but *at least* one of the three will surely leave this summer.
While Mavididi is not yet to the calibre of the current Hammers trio, a small portion of the reported £85m fee from Man City for Paqueta can go on stealing the Leicester City standout as they repeat last summer’s rebuild following the sale of Declan Rice.
