Arsenal are in talks to complete a dramatic £20 million transfer of England striker Jamie Vardy from new Premier League champions Leicester City, according to Daily Telegraph.
In a development that is reminiscent of Sir Alex Ferguson’s £24 million deal for Robin van Persie ahead of his final season at Manchester United, Arsene Wenger has personally sanctioned the move for Vardy, who will turn 30 next year.
Vardy has a release clause of £20 million in his Leicester City contract and, while Arsenal have not yet formally triggered that clause, an offer is imminent and the deal could move forward quickly over the next 48 hours.
Wenger’s pursuit of Vardy is further evidence following the signing last summer of Petr Cech of a manager now able to operate much more in the here and now than during most of the past decade, when he spent significant money almost exclusively on players near the start of their careers. It is also an acknowledgment of Arsenal’s belief that Vardy’s physical condition will allow him to play at the highest level until well into his 30s.
Vardy scored 24 Premier League goals last season to spearhead Leicester’s shock surge to the Premier League title and their manager, Claudio Ranieri, still hopes that he can be persuaded to stay.
A new contract was signed by Vardy in February, worth around £60,000-a-week until 2019, but Arsenal could offer a four year deal worth in excess of £100,000-a-week until 2020. Leicester’s Thai owners, however, could yet sanction a counter offer comparable to what Arsenal might pay.
The decision will ultimately rest with Vardy, who is currently with the England squad ahead of the European Championships and was personally scouted by Wenger during Thursday’s 1-0 win against Portugal. England travel to Chantilly in France on Monday, leaving this weekend as the most likely window to complete the deal before the Euros.
Moving to Arsenal would continue an extraordinary late career surge for Vardy, who only broke into the professional game in 2012, after nine years in non-league football.
It would also continue Arsenal’s active start to the summer transfer window, with Wenger having already completed a £30 million deal for Switzerland central midfielder Granit Xhaka.
Liverpool are also interested in Vardy – and would be willing to pay wages in excess of £100,000-a-week – but, crucially, the release clause in his contract only relates to clubs in the Champions League. Vardy would also be highly unlikely to leave Leicester, who are also of course qualified in the Champions League, for a club outside Europe’s elite club competition. Gary Lineker – another former Leicester and England striker – last night urged Vardy not to make the move to Arsenal. In response to broadcaster and Arsenal fan Piers Morgan, who wrote on Twitter “Come on @vardy7 – let’s do this”, Lineker replied: “Stay with the Champions @vardy7 don’t join the perennial also-rans.”
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