Leicester City could face heartbreaking Jamie Vardy situation after Birmingham City news | OneFootball

Leicester City may face the prospect of coming up against former striker Jamie Vardy next season if he joins Birmingham City.

A new era is underway at Leicester City following the appointment of Marti Cifuentes as the club's new manager.

Leicester were relegated from the Premier League last season after a dismal campaign in which they accumulated just 25 points, and that led to the sacking of manager Ruud van Nistelrooy in June after just under eight months in charge.

The likes of Sean Dyche, Danny Rohl, Chris Wilder and Gary O'Neil were all linked with the Foxes after van Nistelrooy's exit, but after a lengthy search for his successor, the club named Cifuentes, who had been out of work since leaving QPR earlier in the summer following a period of gardening leave, as their new manager.

With the prospect of a points deduction hanging over the club after they were charged with breaching profit and sustainability rules by the Premier League and a big rebuild of the squad needed, Cifuentes could face some big challenges during the early stages of his time at the King Power Stadium.

Many Leicester supporters are unhappy with the ownership for their mismanagement of the club in recent years, and as they prepare for life back in the Championship, they may face the prospect of coming up against one of their former favourites next season.

Jamie Vardy could line up against Leicester City next season with Birmingham City

After an illustrious 13-year spell at the club, striker Jamie Vardy left Leicester at the end of his contract this summer, and he departed having established himself as arguably their greatest ever player.

Vardy joined the Foxes from then non-league side Fleetwood Town for a fee of just £1 million in May 2012, and he went on to win the Premier League title, the FA Cup, the Community Shield and two Championship titles during his time at the club, as well as featuring in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.

After scoring his 200th goal for the club on his 500th and final appearance in the 2-0 win over Ipswich Town in May, Vardy was given an emotional send-off by the Leicester faithful, but there is a chance he could be returning to the King Power Stadium as an opposition player next season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers were initially said to be the front-runners to land Vardy after he announced his Foxes departure, but a move to Molineux no longer seems to be on the cards, while there also appears to be no truth in reports linking him with the likes of West Ham United, Leeds United, Burnley and Manchester United.

Rangers manager Russell Martin refused to deny speculation that he is keen to bring Vardy to Ibrox earlier this month, while he is also believed to be on the radar of Spanish side Valencia, but another club have now entered the race, with Football Insider claiming on Friday that Birmingham City have "registered ther interest" in signing the 38-year-old.

Should Vardy make the move to St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, he could potentially face his former club Leicester twice next season in the Championship, which is something that many Foxes supporters would surely be dreading.

Jamie Vardy, Birmingham City talk will be worrying for Leicester City supporters

Leicester supporters would have been reassured by reports earlier in the summer stating that Vardy was hoping to remain in the Premier League next season, but with no top flight offers on the table for the striker at this point, he may need to consider dropping into the Championship.

With Birmingham owner Tom Wagner making it clear that the club are targeting back-to-back promotions next season, Vardy may relish the opportunity to become part of their exciting project, and the move could even allow him to play at the highest level one last time if the Midlands outfit are able to achieve their objective.

If he was to join the Blues, Vardy would likely have to accept a significant reduction on the estimated £140,000 weekly wage he was on at Leicester, but given the club's vast financial resources, they may still be able to provide him with a lucrative enough financial package to convince him to make the switch to St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Having won the Championship title on two occasions with the Foxes, Vardy is a proven performer in the second tier, and he scored 20 goals and provided two assists in 37 appearances during his last spell in the division in the 2023-24 season to help his former club to promotion under Enzo Maresca.

Despite now being in the final stages of his career, Vardy would still be a major threat for Birmingham next season, and watching him score goals for the Blues would surely leave a sour taste in the mouths of Leicester supporters, particularly as their team look unlikely to be in the promotion mix amid talk of a potential points deduction.

At this stage, the rumours linking Vardy with Birmingham are nothing more than speculation, and with many Foxes fans keen to avoid seeing their former hero line up against them, they will certainly be hoping it stays that way.