Shakespeare in crunch talks with Leicester over permanent job

Craig Shakespeare has flown to France for talks with Leicester City’s owners as he closes in on the job as permanent manager.

Shakespeare left for Nice yesterday for a meeting with chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, to discuss the prospect of him landing the post beyond the summer.

It is thought that Leicester’s players are also joining Shakespeare, after being invited by the owners following the end of the Premier League season.

Leicester’s squad have frequently flown to Thailand for a post-season goodwill tour, but this year they will be staying in Europe.

Shakespeare could be officially confirmed as Leicester’s permanent manager this week if talks are concluded swiftly, after his impressive spell since replacing Claudio Ranieri in February. The 53-year-old guided last season’s title-winners to the Champions League quarterfinals and Premier League safety with eight wins from 16 games.

Shakespeare is already planning recruitment for the summer, and will work on appointing new backroom staff if he lands the job, with former Leicester defender Chris Powell an early contender.

Srivaddhanaprabha said before the final game of the season against Bournemouth: “We asked Craig to take charge until the end of the season and agreed that we would discuss the situation then.

“There are many things to consider and to talk about – both for the club and Craig himself – but it is only right that we have those conversations with Craig before discussing the situation publicly.”

Meanwhile, Danny Drinkwater is expected to miss England’s World Cup qualifier against Scotland on June 10 and the friendly with France on June 13 through injury, meaning he will not have played for his country in over a year.

Drinkwater missed the final three games of Leicester’s season after suffering a grade one thigh strain, and was still receiving treatment last week. The midfielder has not played for England since the friendly against Australia on May 27 last year, and will remain unavailable for Gareth Southgate.