BIG DECISIONS
THE forthcoming summer transfer window could be a crucial one for Leicester City as they hope to prepare for life as a Champions League club again, writes Amie Wilson.
But first they must secure a topfour finish – City are currently third in the Premier League, seven points clear of West Ham in fifth place.
And whether they can maintain their place in the top four is likely to have a big impact on the way they operate in the transfer market.
Plans will already be in place covering both scenarios, as they were at this time last year.
And several names are already being linked with a move to the King Power Stadium this summer.
So where are the positions that Brendan Rodgers wants to strengthen?
The manager has made no secret of his desire to boost his attacking options when the transfer window reopens.
City attempted to bring an attacking midfielder to the club in January, with unsuccessful approaches for the likes of Martin Odegaard and Christian Eriksen.
It is expected to be different when the summer comes around.
Injuries to James Maddison, Dennis Praet and Ayoze Perez in recent weeks meant City had no natural number 10 to play in behind Jamie Vardy, with Kelechi Iheanacho and Youri Tielemans standing in.
While the return of the latter two from injury has since eased the problem, it would be no surprise to see City back in the market for an attacking midfielder this summer.
Vardy has been the main man up top in recent years, and is expected to be so for the foreseeable future, but he is now 35, meaning City need to start planning ahead.
Last month, Rodgers said: “Jamie’s still, when he’s fit and playing, up there with the best strikers in the league, but when you’re playing the number of games we want to play and anticipate playing, then you need more than one.
“We know Jamie’s age. I still have great confidence in his fitness and his abilities, but he can’t do it all on his own. We respect that. That’s something that will be continual over the next few months looking ahead to the summer market.”
Kelechi Iheanacho has since stepped up and proved his worth next to Vardy, scoring seven goals in his last four appearances.
But should City stick with the two, then it leaves no natural striker ready to come off the bench or to step in for Iheanacho or Vardy should either be injured or banned.
City have been heavily linked with Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard in recent months.
Another position that could be targeted is centre-back, given that both Wes Morgan and Christian Fuchs are out of contract in the summer.
Assuming they don’t sign new deals, a defender may be recruited to provide competition for Wesley Fofana, Johnny Evans and Çaglar Soyuncu.
It is also important that City keep hold of their star names this summer.
Over the last few years, City have made one big player sale during the summer transfer window.
N’Golo Kante, Danny Drinkwater, Riyad Mahrez, Harry Maguire and Ben Chilwell have all moved on for big fees in the last five years.
Given the form of City’s players this season, it is likely there will again be interest in members of Rodgers’ squad.
Youri Tielemans, James Maddison,
Harvey Barnes and Wesley Fofana, for example, are likely to attract interest from rival clubs.
There are said to be contract talks going on with both Tielemans and Barnes to warn off any interest, but that will not necessarily ensure their future at the King Power.
Obviously, City will be keen to keep hold of their top players and Champions League qualification could be the best way of ensuring that.
City also have a number of decisions to make on loan deals when the transfer window opens.
Cengiz Under is on a seasonlong loan from AS Roma, but whether Rodgers opts to make that a permanent deal is still up in the air.
The possibility of signing Florian Thauvin on a free transfer is another potential option.
There are also several City players out on loan, including Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Rachid Ghezzal, Josh Knight and Filip Benkovic.
Dewsbury-Hall has impressed in the Championship with Luton Town this season and could be another option for Rodgers should he decide not to sign an attacking midfielder.