Premier League leaders Leicester City are in the news on Tuesday as they look to secure two key men in their unexpected title challenge. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola has met Manchester City to discuss two new targets, and there’s our contractually-obliged Saido Berahino update.
JAMIE VARDY HAS BUYOUT CLAUSE IN NEW CONTRACT
Anyone wanting to sign Jamie Vardy from Leicester will have to meet the striker’s £30m buyout clause, according to The Times. Last month the 29-year-old penned a new three-and-a-half-year deal to stay at the King Power Stadium, and the report claims the club inserted a steep buyout clause. Vardy reportedly did not push for the inclusion of the clause in his contract, and is keen to stay at the club.
Paper Round’s view: Vardy has been electric this season – but £30m for a 29-year-old is a steep fee indeed. There is no doubting Vardy’s contribution to Leicester’s title charge, but he has now scored just four goals in his last 14 appearances and the biggest clubs may doubt whether he possesses genuine top-level quality. What’s more, with Leicester set for Champions League football, there seems little incentive to join Chelsea or Manchester United, who are set to miss out on the top four. All told, it’s hard to see anyone triggering the clause – and if they do, Vardy may yet decide to stay.
LEICESTER BID TO SEE OFF CHELSEA AND ARSENAL WITH NEW KANTE DEAL
Still with Leicester, City are set to offer N’Golo Kante a big new contract to ward off interest from Arsenal – according to the Mirror. Kante, 24, has been brilliant since joining Leicester from Caen for £5.6m last summer. The Frenchman is now rated at over £20m after playing a key role in Leicester’s stunning title challenge, but Leicester are desperate to keep the midfielder as they prepare for a likely tilt at the Champions League next season.
Paper Round’s view: Clearly Leicester will face a struggle to keep their key men in the summer, with Kante and Riyad Mahrez high on many clubs’ shopping list. It’s entirely normal for Leicester to try to tie Kante down to a long-term deal, and it will be interesting to see how they fare in keeping their best players. Given the double windfall of Champions League and increased Premier League money, plus the attraction of playing in the continent’s top club competition, they should be fairly well-equipped to keep the sharks at bay.
GUARDIOLA MEETS CITY CHIEF OVER BAZOER AND WILLIAMS
Pep Guardiola met with Manchester City officials in Amsterdam yesterday for what the Daily Mirror dubs “a secret transfer summit” – meeting director of football Txiki Begiristain at the same hotel. The Mirror claims City’s two main Dutch-based targets are £24m-rated Ajax midfielder Riechedly Bazoer and PSV’s Dutch left-back Jetro Williams, valued at £15m.
Paper Round’s view: Another day, another big City transfer story. City’s interest in Bazoer and Williams might be genuine, but it is unexplained why Guardiola and Begiristain had to meet in the Netherlands to discuss two Dutch-based players. Were there agents there? We don’t know. We also don’t know whether this truly was a secret meeting given Guardiola was photographed exiting a taxi in broad daylight. Still, it’s given us another couple of names to mull over, and that’s surely better than another Paul Pogba story, right?
TOTTENHAM TO GET CUT-PRICE BERAHINO
Tottenham Hotspur will finally snap up Saido Berahino from West Bromwich Albion in the summer, the Daily Mail reports. With Berahino entering the final year of his contract, he could be available for as little as £12m – a little more than half the sum West Brom rejected from Newcastle in January. The player’s wages and add-ons will increase the total value of the deal to £24m.
Paper Round’s view: And so football’s strangest saga rolls on. Having rejected a huge sum for an out-of-favour player in January, West Brom now face seeing him leave for half price – and this after he has finally re-established his place in the team. Given the near-certainly that Berahino will not sign a new contract, it seems equally likely that he will be off in the summer, and Tottenham seems the natural destination.
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