LEICESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 04: Leicester City Manager Enzo Maresca during the Leicester City press conference at Leicester City Training Ground, Seagrave on August 04, 2023 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
Leicester City leads the Championship with a commanding lead, but they will soon need to focus on contract negotiations.
Leicester City and Ipswich Town are locked in a Championship title match. Although the Foxes lead the Tractor Boys by three points, the league’sLeicester City and Ipswich Town are locked in a Championship title match. Although the Foxes lead the Tractor Boys by three points, the league’s surprise package has stayed up with Enzo Maresca’s team at the top of the standings.
January presents fresh dilemmas though, mainly regarding transfers and contracts. Leicester have eight players who will enter the last six months of their deals upon the start of 2024, and there are some vital players amongst them.
The players out of contract in 2024
The headline name of those out of contract at the end of this season is midfielder Wilfred Ndidi. Speculation has been rife over his future every since the drop from the Premier League but he’s stayed a vital player for Leicester City, managing two goals and five assists in 18 league games.
Links have persisted heading into January but if they can, you feel the Foxes will try secure his future beyond the end of this season. It could depend on the promotion picture and/or the chances that emerge for the midfielder in the transfer window though.
Kelechi Iheanacho, another Nigerian star, finds himself in a similar position. He had summer interest from the Premier League and as his contract situation comes to a head, it might not be long before there’s some clarity over his future.
Jannik Vestergaard‘s emergence as a vital player under Maresca will surely see Leicester City prioritise a new deal for him. That said, there are other players who look stronger candidates for exits.
Veterans Mark Albrighton and Alex Smithies are out of contract in the summer. Neither have had prevalent roles to play this season and if they don’t depart in the winter, you can’t help but feel a change of scenery awaits later in the year. Dennis Praet has been rarely seen too, so a 2024 exit feels likely, be it in January or on a free in the summer. Wanya Marcal had a promising pre-season and start to the season but is on the fringes of the Leicester team as well, potentially opening the door for a switch elsewhere.
The last of the eight out of contract players is the legendary Jamie Vardy. He’s maintained a role in the Leicester City team this season but with Saudi Arabian sides keen on the now 36-year-old striker, the club have a decision to make over his future too.
