Leicester City trio set for potential exit amid financial uncertainty - it includes £90k-a-week man | OneFootball

Plenty of high-profile names could depart the King Power Stadium between now and Deadline Day

Leicester City could see three high-profile names depart the King Power Stadium between now and the transfer deadline of 7PM on Monday, February 2nd, amid financial uncertainty at the East Midlands club.

According to talkSPORT, the trio of Harry Winks, Wout Faes and Boubakary Soumare could all be on their way as the Foxes look to reshape their squad after an extremely below-par first half of the season under the management of Marti Cifuentes.

Leicester and their supporters are certainly no strangers to being put on an emotional rollercoaster due to developments at the King Power, having returned to the Championship for the second time in three years at the end of last season.

It wasn't the greatest of surprises that the Blues were immediately named as one of the expected front-runners for automatic promotion back to English football's top table this season despite having an extremely different financial landscape at present to Ipswich Town and Southampton, who were also immediately relegated back to the EFL after being promoted in second place or through the play-offs in 2023/24.

Faes and Winks were, of course, members of the title-winning squad under Enzo Maresca, and boast plenty of top level and international experience with both England and Belgium, respectively, over the course of their individual careers thus far.

However, it is clear that Leicester are a club in need of a major reset, with the threat of a points deduction that is likely to shape their short-term goal for the remainder of the season still looming.

At present, they sit 13th in the table, having taken 34 points from 25 games, but have lost three of their past five outings.

Leicester City set for potential triple transfer exit amid financial uncertainty

As previously mentioned, alongside the fact that former West Ham United and Jamaican international forward, Michael Antonio, could be signed as a free agent after the early termination of Julian Carranza's dismal loan move from Feyenoord, talkSPORT claim that all of Winks, Faes and Soumare could be shifted off the Foxes' wage bill in the next four weeks.

Winks was viewed as a statement signing under Maresca in the summer of 2023, joining from Tottenham Hotspur for £10m.

The 29-year-old and 10-time Three Lions international was integral in Leicester's title success two years ago, but has since failed to build on those performances.

It was reported that the midfielder was involved in a dispute with former boss, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, last term, and he has since fallen out-of-favour under the under-fire Cifuentes, having been omitted from his squad since the 3-2 home defeat to Sheffield United on November 29th, leading to severe question marks over his future despite earning an ESTIMATED wage of £90,000 per week, according to Capology.

Faes has also been absent for the same length of time, some four-and-a-half years after his £15m switch from Stade de Reims. The 27-year-old was one of several players who became the subject of exit talk after relegation, with Turkish Süper Lig outfit, Besiktas, and Bundesliga side, VfL Wolfsburg, both failing to land agreements.

It was then claimed that Leicester would be willing to move Faes on for €10m as Serie A side, Lazio, reportedly registered their own interest after the conclusion of the summer window.

Soumare was yet another high-profile signing during Leicester's days as an established Premier League side, joining the one-time English champions months after their FA Cup triumph in May 2021 for £17m from LOSC Lille.

However, like several other buys, the French midfielder has not justified said price tag. He has made just 109 appearances for City in that time, and it was reported that he was set for a departure last summer after they were relegated.

Like his fellow counterparts, Soumare has missed the past seven encounters, although this has been down to a knee issue.

Leicester City's winter transfer business will be crucial amid financial uncertainty

With a date still not set in stone as to when a points' deduction could be imposed upon the club, regardless of incomings and outgoings, Leicester must make the transfer window a successful one in so many ways.

Although they would certainly be making a huge loss, which is a damning indictment of how they have operated in the market previously, losing three players who have found regular minutes hard to come by whilst being on substantial wages would go a long way to easing their future financial concerns.