Wrexham AFC sent warning over potential Jamie Vardy move after Leicester City exit | OneFootball

FLW's Wrexham fan pundit discussed the potential signing of Jamie Vardy following the striker's decision to leave Leicester City

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…

Jamie Vardy's departure from Leicester City at the end of the current campaign following 13 years of unparalleled service has been confirmed in a move that may just pique the interest of Wrexham AFC.

The 38-year-old's contract is due to expire this summer and, on Thursday afternoon, Leicester announced that Vardy is set to leave the King Power Stadium after more than a decade with the club. In that time, Vardy has etched his name into the history books and will go down as quite arguably the greatest player in the Foxes' existence.

The legendary striker could yet hit 200 goals for the club before he departs, having made close to 500 appearances across an iconic spell in the East Midlands.

Vardy, of course, inspired the Foxes' historic 5000/1 Premier League triumph in 2016 and then won the Golden Boot for his 23-goal haul during the 2019/20 season, which saw the side qualify for the UEFA Europa League.

But he will now be moving on from Leicester, having scored seven top-flight goals this term amid his side's swift relegation back to the Championship.

It's unclear exactly where the 26-cap former England international will be heading just yet, but Wrexham, who are second in League One with just two games to spare and a two-point cushion over third-placed Wycombe Wanderers ahead of Saturday afternoon's crunch showdown against fellow automatic promotion chasers Charlton Athletic, have been installed as the bookmaker's early favourites to land his signature this summer.

Meanwhile, just last year, Wrexham executive director Humphrey Ker refused to rule out a potential move for Vardy, whose pedigree and profile would doubtless fit the bill for a club often inclined to making high-profile, Hollywood-esque signings, if you like, under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Wrexham AFC offered caution over potential Jamie Vardy pursuit after Leicester City exit

FLW spoke to our resident Red Dragons fan pundit, Liam Grice, whether he believes Wrexham should plot a move in the event of promotion to the Championship, or if he expects Vardy to join another top-flight club or a more established side in the second-tier.

Liam, however, has reservations about whether the signing of Vardy would make sense from a footballing perspective.

Although the veteran has still posted a respectable goalscoring tally in spite of his age and Leicester's struggles this term, and found the back of the net on 18 occasions last time out to help them to the Championship title, Liam is concerned that Vardy has lost his electric pace, will surely cost a significant amount in wages and may not be the most sensible signing considering just how many strikers are already at the disposal of manager Phil Parkinson.

He did, however, note the obvious benefits from a commercial perspective, which will naturally appeal to Wrexham's top-brass if they do indeed look to complete a deal.

"From a business perspective, he's a big name," Liam told FLW.

"He's won pretty much everything he could with Leicester during his time there, it would certainly be a great move from a PR standpoint.

"There are just questions over his ability now. Has he lost that yard of pace that made him so clinical in the Premier League? I have no doubt he'd still score 10-12 goals in the Championship, but would that really justify the wages when we could get two players with the same amount we'd be paying for him, who could bolster the squad in different areas?

"We do have a lot of strikers on the books at the moment, so maybe from a squad balance perspective, I probably wouldn't recommend Wrexham to sign Vardy.

"But from a PR and image perspective, it's a no brainer."

Leicester City's Jamie Vardy would have to take a huge pay cut to join Wrexham AFC

Perhaps the most obvious drawback is going to be Vardy's wages, which would need to be reduced dramatically for Wrexham to have any real chance of getting a deal over the line.

According to Capology, a site which provides estimates on player salaries, Vardy is earning a weekly wage of £140,000 with Leicester. That sort of money would not be sustainable in the Championship full stop, let alone for a newly-promoted side - albeit one capable of punching above its weight from an economical perspective aided by significant revenue - and Wrexham would have to find a way to convince Vardy to settle for a more modest pay packet.

At 38, Vardy will realise that his next, and likely final contract, will surely incur a reduction to some degree, but there will plausibly be some top-flight clubs able to offer more lucrative contracts than Wrexham can.

The Red Dragons, then, must decide whether Vardy is worth what would still undoubtedly be an extremely large salary with his best years firmly behind him, but it's unclear if he would even want the move at all.