£35m demand made as West Ham chase Leicester City transfer | OneFootball

Leicester City have been told to hold out for a £35m fee for West Ham target Mads Hermansen.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Leicester City have been told to hold out for £35m for Mads Hermansen as West Ham show an interest in the talented keeper.

The Foxes endured a miserable season last time out, as they were relegated from the Premier League without much of a fight.

A key reason for that was Hermansen’s injury in December, which meant he missed seven games, during which time Leicester lost six times, and the fitness issues impacted him for the remainder of the campaign.

Mads Hermansen transfer latest as West Ham target Leicester City keeper

So, the Danish stopper was one of just a few to emerge with any credit last season, and he remains a popular figure after his outstanding first season in English football, where he starred as Enzo Maresca’s Leicester won the Championship title.

Therefore, it’s perhaps no surprise there is interest in the 25-year-old, with West Ham believed to be ready to offer Hermansen an immediate return to the top-flight.

With Leicester’s well-documented PSR issues, the Midlands outfit may be in a position where they have to cash in on their prized assets this summer, and the former Brondby number one is undoubtedly one of the highest value players in the group.

Leicester City urged to stand firm on Mads Hermansen valuation

Leicester’s financial situation may mean the Hammers feel they can pick Hermansen up for a bargain fee, yet, when asked what sort of figure the keeper should command, Foxes fan pundit Louchlainn Martin made it clear that they must hold out for a substantial sum, as he explained he values the 25-year-old at £35m.

“Leicester fans have been waiting patiently for outgoings, and we thought it would be sooner by now, with a couple of our high sellable assets like Bilal El Khannous and Mads Hermansen.

“We’re starting to see rumours of West Ham being in for Hermansen, and I’d be disappointed. I think he can make a bigger step up than West Ham, with all due respect. Graham Potter wants to build something at the club, and only time will tell if he’s successful at that. But, I could see Hermansen moving to a European side, so a top seven team in the Premier League, or a team abroad that offers Champions League or Europa League football.

“With regard to the price tag, we’re seeing £20m or £25m. We’re aware that after relegation and PSR concerns, it means clubs will smell blood, and try to come in with offers below his market value. But Leicester should hold on for as much as possible.

“Last year Chelsea were sniffing around after appointing Maresca, and they were told it was £40m. Hermansen was injured midway through last season, but in the first half of the season it shows what type of keeper he is - he is top level with bags of potential, so £40m sounds more realistic to me.

“If you take £5m off that for relegation, would I take £35m in our situation? I think I would. That will allow us to reinvest into the squad, and we’ve already got our number one in Jakub Stolarczyk who has made the step up, and he played at the end of last season, and fans are excited to see him between the sticks this season.

“We’re linked with Begovic on a free, which is good. So, £35m for Hermansen, I’d take that. It helps with PSR and helps to get in a new striker.”

Leicester City need to have a near-perfect summer window

This is a critical window for Leicester, with Marti Cifuentes and the board needing to get most of it right if they are to have a successful season.

Realistically, keeping Hermansen seems a long shot, but that doesn’t mean the club should get bullied when it comes to his valuation, and, in the modern game, you could make a strong case that he is worth in excess of £30m at least.

There are clear issues in the squad that need addressing, so high-profile sales will help get things started on that front, but the club know they aren’t in a position to splash the cash this summer.

So, fans may have to be patient, and it will be intriguing to see what the Leicester squad looks like once the deadline has passed later this year.