Leicester City enter summer transfer window with 40 players and three decisions for each

Leicester City’s retained list has been announced and so the base of the squad going into the summer is now known.

When combining the first-team group, the returning loanees and the academy talents who have at least been included in one matchday squad, it gives City a group of 40 players to work with moving forward.

Now there are choices to be made. Which players do they keep, who do they sell and who gets loaned out?

Here’s a rundown of all 40 players currently on their books and what might happen to each of them between now and the start of the season...

Goalkeepers

The release of Danny Ward and Daniel Iversen leaves City with just two senior goalkeepers.

One of those, Mads Hermansen, is a strong contender to leave the club as one of the few players in the squad who can generate a good profit.

Chelsea had been expected to come forward with interest but it’s Brentford and Manchester United who are now emerging as more likely destinations.

Hermansen underwent surgery a few weeks ago, missing the end of the campaign with the idea of getting him fit for pre-season. It also gets him ready for a potential transfer.

City will hope to make a big fee on the Dane, especially as Brondby are due a cut of it, with a sell-on clause in Hermansen’s contract.

Jakub Stolarczyk will be sticking around and could potentially take over as number one.

While City will have to go into the market to bring in at least one goalkeeper, it would save them money if the new signing didn’t have to be a new first-choice option.

Full-backs

City look well-stocked for full-backs going into the Championship. Ricardo Pereira will be the favourite to take the captain’s armband if he sticks around, while James Justin and Luke Thomas look good to stay too.

Woyo Coulibaly was only signed in January and while he’s still got four years left on his contract, his late-season absence means his future at the club isn’t certain.

The last time City were relegated to the Championship, Victor Kristiansen was loaned out to Bologna, but only because Enzo Maresca was not planning to play with traditional full-backs. The Dane also has a long contract.

With versatile teenager Bade Alukocoming through, City can perhaps afford to let one or two of the more senior options go without needing to dip into the market to strengthen.

Brandon Cover will also be worth considering. He featured a few times under Maresca last season, and while he’s only been on loan in League Two this past year, Kasey McAteer made that two-division leap and is now a fully-fledged member of the first-team squad.

Cover could also be used as a defensive midfielder, which was his initial position before he moved to right-back.

Centre-backs

There are plenty of options here, but there are doubts around nearly all of their futures.

Wout Faes has been the subject of transfer speculation for months and will likely be sold if and when a good fee comes forward.

After finding himself out of the picture, Jannik Vestergaard’sfuture is uncertain.Caleb Okoli had regularly been linked with a return to Italy, but he’s now hinted that he will be part of the squad next season.

Conor Coady is down to the final year of his deal but could remain, and would be more likely to do so if he is going to start regularly next term.

There have been rave reviews of Ben Nelson during his loan at Oxford and he should return as a prominent member of the first-team squad, as long as he is not sold to help the club meet Profit and Sustainability Rules.

Harry Souttar also did well on loan at Sheffield United before rupturing his Achilles. It means he won’t be fit again until the end of the calendar year, ruling out a decision on his future this summer.

Twenty-year-old Tom Wilson-Brown didn’t feature in his time away with Kilmarnock and will need to find a new loan club this summer to get senior experience.

Deep midfielders

Much like at centre-back, there’s lots of good options here, but not many who are definitely going to stay.

Wilfred Ndidi signed a new contract last summer but there’s talk of a buy-out clause in that deal that could see him leave.

Boubakary Soumare went to Sevilla the last time City were relegated, and with a year left on his deal, now would be the right time for the club to sell the Frenchman.

Harry Winks, like Vestergaard, found himself out of the frame for the final couple of months of the campaign, and that raises doubts over his future.

But elsewhere, Oliver Skipp is set to stay put and Hamza Choudhury,having waved goodbye to Sheffield United, could come back into the fold at City.

Sammy Braybrooke was recalled early from his loan spell with Dundee and pre-season will likely determine if he heads out again or remains at the club to contend for a first-team spot.

Henry Cartwright, on the bench at Newcastle in December, looks physically ready for the senior game and could do with a loan move.

Wingers

City look in excellent shape out wide. They shouldn’t need to head to the transfer market this summer for any more wingers.

Abdul Fatawu is hopeful of being ready to make a comeback in pre-season. If the Ghanaian is fit, he likely starts. The same is true for Stephy Mavididi. Neither have been linked away and both are on long contracts.

There’s plenty of options in support too. Kasey McAteer featured more regularly over the final weeks of the campaign, while Bobby De Cordova-Reid has two years left on his deal and is likely to stay.

The club’s top two up-and-coming talents Jeremy Monga and Jake Evans are close to signing contracts that will keep them at the club at least for the next season, and with their rate of progression they should play prominent roles next term.

Any further wingers may be in excess, then. Wanya Marcal featured occasionally the last time City were in the Championship and a good pre-season could yet aid his cause.

Silko Thomas, on loan at Wigan last season, remains sidelined by a serious knee injury, while Amani Richards, who returned early from a spell with Exeter, is perhaps best served by another loan away.

Attacking midfielders

Bilal El Khannouss has both the talent and the potential to draw interest from top-flight clubs, but will he be the subject of a £20m+ bid that City would require to sell him? That will be the crux of the matter for the Moroccan.

It’s not currently expected Jordan Ayew will leave. He looked more suited to a central role late in the season and could be a good option there.

Will Alves returns from Cardiff and is sure to have a place in the squad. He played out wide for the Bluebirds but given the options City already have there, he may find more opportunities in the middle.

A year older and in a lower league, there may be more chances for Michael Golding this coming season.

Four goals and five assists at Under-21 level is a good return for Logan Briggs, but a path to the first team looks blocked by City’s remaining options for now.

Strikers

Without Jamie Vardy, City look very short up front. It could be the end of the road for Patson Daka at the King Power Stadium too. The Zambian has just one year left on his deal.

In the development squad ranks, Nathan Opoku has only just returned from a double-leg break, while Chris Popov failed to find the net during his spell with Barrow in League Two this season, and so loans out may be best for the both of them.

Right now, strikers have to be City’s transfer priority.

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