The 8 Leicester City players who are leaving on a free next summer

We examined the eight players from Leicester City whose contracts are up at the end of the current campaign.

For Leicester City, the transition back to the Championship has been great.

The Foxes, who were demoted from the Premier League last season, had an absolutely dismal season, but they are among the front-runners for promotion in the second division as they aim to recover right away.

With a 2-0 victory over Stoke City on Saturday at the King Power Stadium, Enzo Maresca’s team earned their 10th victory in their opening 11 league contests, and they now sit atop the standings going into the international break.

After 11 games, Maresca has had the best start of any manager in the history of the club, and Leicester are now 10 points ahead of third-placed Preston North End.

We examined which Foxes players have contracts expiring at the end of the current campaign.

Alex Smithies

Smithies, the goalie, was left off of Leicester’s 25-man roster, therefore it appears that his time at the King Power Stadium is coming to an end.

Since joining the Foxes from Cardiff City this summer, Smithies has been inactive, and given that Mads Hermansen, Jakub Stolarczyk, Danny Ward, and Daniel Iversen are all above of him in the hierarchy, it is probable that he will be leaving.

Jannik Vestergaard

Defender Vestergaard did not feature for Leicester in the Premier League last season under Brendan Rodgers or Dean Smith, with his only appearances coming in the cup competitions.

However, the 31-year-old is back in favour under Maresca, and he has started all but one league game this season, so the Foxes could look to tie him down to an extension.

Wilfred Ndidi

Despite interest from Bayern Munich and Nottingham Forest this summer, Leicester was able to hang onto midfielder Ndidi.

Ndidi has been impressive this season, making 14 appearances across all competitions and contributing four assists. He is sure to draw interest once more in January, but the Foxes may have a chance to keep him given that they appear to be headed back to the Premier League.

Hamza Choudhury

This summer, midfielder Choudhury was connected with Southampton, but he stayed at the King Power Stadium.

The 26-year-old has made 11 appearances for Leicester so far this season after spending last season on loan at Watford. However, many of those came off the bench, and it is unclear if he is in Maresca’s long-term plans.

Dennis Praet

Midfielder Praet joined Leicester from Sampdoria in August 2019, but he has struggled to nail down a regular starting place at the club.

The 29-year-old is currently sidelined with a back injury, but he did start two of the Foxes’ first three games in all competitions, so it will be intriguing to see how much he features when he returns.

Marc Albrighton

Winger Albrighton is one of the Foxes’ longest-serving players having arrived from Aston Villa in May 2014, and he was involved in the club’s Premier League and FA Cup-winning squads.

Albrighton spent the second half of last season on loan at West Bromwich Albion, and while he has made seven appearances in all competitions so far this campaign, it would be a surprise if the 33-year-old was offered a new deal in the summer.

Kelechi Iheanacho

This summer, despite interest from teams like Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Iheanacho stayed at the King Power Stadium.

The 27-year-old striker has been in superb form this season, tallying five goals and dishing out two assists in 13 appearances across all competitions, including three goals in his last three games. Maresca will be anxious to hold on to the forward past the season’s end.

Jamie Vardy

Vardy has enjoyed an illustrious spell with Leicester since his move from then non-league Fleetwood Town in May 2012, winning the Championship title in 2014, the Premier League title in 2016 and the FA Cup in 2021, and he has certainly established himself as a club legend.

The striker has remained a key part of the Foxes’ squad this season, scoring five goals and registering one assist in 12 appearances in all competitions, while he has captained the side on a number of occasions.

It is a big decision facing Leicester on Vardy’s future in the summer, but if he is not offered an extension, securing promotion back to the Premier League would be the perfect way for the 36-year-old to end his time at the club.