How much Leicester City will save on wages as Patson Daka exit looms | OneFootball

With Patson Daka free to leave Leicester over the summer, here's how much the Foxes could save on wages without him.

Leicester City striker Patson Daka is free to leave the club this summer following their relegation from the Premier League.

The Zambian has found the net just once from his 20 appearances in the top flight this term, and the Foxes are now reportedly set to allow him to find another club.

Daka moved to the East Midlands outfit for £23m back in 2021, but according to SportsBoom, Daka will be departing the King Power Stadium this summer, just one year before his contract was due to expire.

With that in mind, FLW takes a look at how much the Foxes could save on their wage bill by not having Daka on the payroll.

Leicester can save £75,000 per week if Daka leaves

With Leicester’s relegation back to the Championship confirmed recently, they were dealt the final blow in what has been a miserable season for the club.

The appointment of Ruud Van Nistelrooy back in November simply hasn’t worked out, and the club have paid the ultimate price for it by losing their top flight status.

With Jamie Vardy set to depart after 13 years at the club and Boubakary Soumare also set to be heading out of the door, Leicester look likely to lose several of their highest earners over the summer.

Daka is another of those who commands a big wage and could potentially be playing his football away from the club next season.

According to Capology estimates, the 26-year-old is currently earning £75,000 per week, sitting him alongside some of the highest-paid players at the former Premier League champions.

Losing Daka would provide a significant weekly saving for the Foxes and, over the course of a calendar year, they would save a total of £3.9m.

The former Red Bull Salzburg man is one of several at Leicester who were signed in the aftermath of their Premier League and FA Cup triumphs and, with the club not at the level to compete for trophies anymore, they will surely be desperate to get him off the wage bill.

Daka’s departure could open the door for Leicester to bring in a new striker

With Leicester dropping back into the second tier for next season, it seems inevitable that their wage bill will need to be cut.

With the departure of Vardy already confirmed, and Soumare and Daka both seeming likely to move elsewhere during the summer window, the Foxes could have already made a substantial cut to their total outlays.

With Vardy and Daka both set to leave the club, and Odsonne Edouard returning to Crystal Palace imminently, bringing a new striker to the club is believed to be Leicester’s main priority for the summer, and clearing Daka from the wage bill could be a huge help.

The frontman has netted just 23 times for Leicester across 118 appearances for the club and struck seven for Enzo Maresca’s side when they won the Championship title back in 2023/24.

However, with Vardy no longer around for next season, the Foxes will need somebody who is a proven goalscorer at the level if they are to instantly return to the top flight.

While recently, relegated clubs have tended to fall into the Championship and instantly compete for promotion, there are also plenty of examples (such as the likes of Norwich and Stoke) who have dropped down and found it difficult to adapt to life back in the second tier.

Leicester’s best opportunity to get themselves back up will undoubtedly be next season and, by moving Daka on to a new club, it could free up the wages for them to go after someone who can fire them straight back to the Premier League.