Will Foxes Cash-in on Him?

With just about six months to the end of his contract and high-flying  Aston Villa set to bolster their team in a quest for a top-four finish in the Premier League and moving to sign Kelechi Iheanacho in the January transfer window, Leicester City might be forced to cash-in on the Nigerian rather than let go for free in the summer

Aston Villa have set their sights on  Leicester City star, Kelechi Iheanacho ahead of the January transfer window, the Nigerian is on the radar for the Midlands giants as they step up their push for a forward signing in the new year.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Iheanacho is out of contract at the end of this season and has featured sparingly for Leicester in recent weeks.

Villa are prioritising a striker signing in January – with manager Unai Emery keen to add someone who can deputise for Ollie Watkins and provide reinforcements in attack.

Watkins has notched 14 goals and eight assists in 24 appearances across all competitions so far in the 2023-24 campaign.

He has started every game in the Premier League this term, with Jhon Duran so far untrusted to play a key role in the English top flight and Villa are planning to let Duran go in January with a loan move most likely.

Aston Villa plan to let Jhon Duran go in January after upsetting Unai Emery.

Football Insider has learned that Aston Villa are planning to let John Duran go in the January window on loan.

It is believed the youngster’s attitude has been questioned by Emery on multiple occasions and he has been told to make major improvements to fit in with the Spaniard’s no-nonsense demands.

Iheanacho has notched six goals and two assists in 20 appearances for Leicester following their relegation from the Premier League last term.

Indeed, Iheanacho is not short of suitors as his contract at Leicester City winds down at the end of this season.

Iheanacho, 27, has netted five goals and made two assists in 18 appearances for Leicester City who are flying in the English Championship as they aim for a promt return to the English Premier League.

According to Football Insider, high-flying Aston are the latest Premier League club interested in the striker, with Wolves and Crystal Palace are the other Premier League teams in the chase of striker.

Meanwhile, Nigeria manager Jose Peseiro has been handed a fitness boost two weeks before the start of a training camp for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, with  Iheanacho getting the green light to return to action.

The 2013 Fifa U17 World Cup Golden Ball winner was named in the Foxes matchday squad for their Championship clash against Birmingham City at St Andrew’s on Monday night, but remained rooted to the bench for the entirety of the game.

Iheanacho was fit enough to be named in the traveling squad to Birmingham after recovering from an illness that kept him out of the team that beat Plymouth Argyle and Millwall.

The Manchester City academy product has been included in Nigeria’s 40-man provisional squad for the Africa Cup of Nations and is a shoo-in to make the final squad barring an injury.

Iheanacho has played in twenty matches for Leicester City so far this season, scoring six goals and assisting two.

The 27-year-old will be hoping to accumulate more match minutes before linking up with the Nigeria squad at their Africa Cup of Nations training camp in the first week of January.

He has been arguably the Super Eagles most influential player since the end of last season, having scored or assisted in each of his last five appearances for the national team and wore the captain’s armband in a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Lesotho.

Aston Villa boss, Unai Emery is reportedly interested in adding Kelechi Iheanacho to his ranks in the January window and the Nigerian could depart Leicester City in the January window, with Aston Villa emerging as frontrunners to secure his signature.

The 27-year-old will be a free agent next summer and Leicester may be forced to cash out in January, rather than letting him walk for free

Iheanacho has been in fine form this season, notching six goals for the Sky Bet Championship side as they maintain their promotion chase, but a move to a team at the upper end of the Premier League table will certainly appeal to the ex-Manchester City man.

A move for the Leicester man would prove the more sensible option, with just six months left on his deal.

Iheanacho was heavily linked with moves away from the King Power Stadium when Leicester got relegated from the EPL to the Championship last season, and the manager, Enzo Maresca said the club was also willing to let go.

“The market is open, anything can happen. We can bring in players and we can sell them too. The market is long. There are many weeks so we’ll see,” Maresca said in July.

However,  months later, Iheanacho rather settled fully into life in the Championship, turning up in style for the Foxes in their quest for an immediate return to the English topflight.

Last season has almost reached that figure this season with his five goals and one assist in 18 appearances in the Championship. In the Carabao Cup, he also scored one goal and one assist in two appearances.