Jamie Vardy‘s decision to reject a £20m transfer to Arsenal has been confirmed as the striker agreed a new long-term deal with Premier League champions Leicester City.
The Gunners had offered the 29-year-old a move to north London, but after considering the deal he has decided to commit his future to the Foxes by agreeing a four-year deal.
A statement on the club website said: “Both parties hope that this announcement will end recent speculation regarding Jamie’s future and confirm his long term commitment to Leicester City Football Club.
“Jamie will continue to focus all of his efforts on trying to achieve success with the England team at the European Championships in France.”
Vardy scored 24 goals last season to finish as the league’s second-highest scorer and is currently on international duty with England at Euro 2016 in France.
It had previously been thought Vardy would decide his future before travelling with Roy Hodgson’s side to Euro 2016, but it eventually dragged on further.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been on the look-out for a new striker to compliment Olivier Giroud, who scored 16 league goals last season but also went 15 matches without finding the net during the latter half of the campaign.
However, it is now confirmed that Vardy has been persuaded by Foxes’ manager Claudio Ranieri to stay.
Wenger told Tencent Sports recently: “At the moment Jamie Vardy is at Leicester and, on what I know, he will stay at Leicester.”
While the retention of Vardy is major boost for Ranieri, who may have been worried players would leave after their remarkable season, it means Wenger will have to turn his attentions elsewhere for a new striker.
The Gunners are interested in Alvaro Morata, who has recently been re-bought by Real Madrid after a loan spell at Juventus, but it is currently unclear whether manager Zinedine Zidane will keep the Spaniard or sell him on.
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