Schmeichel agrees to join Ligue 1 side but Leicester transfer inactivity blocks transfer

Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel reportedly has an agreement to join Ligue 1 side Nice this summer.

The Denmark international has spent over a decade with the Foxes, winning both the Premier League and FA Cup in that time, having moved from Leeds for £1.5m in 2011.

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The 35-year-old was linked with a move to Newcastle this summer before the Magpies opted instead for Nick Pope from Burnley.

But Schmeichel is still keen on leaving the King Power Stadium according to L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), who claim the goalkeeper has ‘given the green light’ for the transfer.

The report claims that despite having a year left to run on his Leicester deal, a clause in his contract stipulates that he’s ‘able to sign for free for a foreign club this summer’ if the Foxes manage to find a replacement for him.

A further report from Portuguese outlet Record claims the Premier League side have been preparing for the club captain’s departure and have been looking at a potential deal for Odysseas Vlachodimos to replace him.

Benfica want between €15m and €20m for their goalkeeper, which seems a fair price for their No.1, but it’s claimed any move for the 28-year-old depends on Schmeichel’s departure.

So, in short, Schmeichel’s departure depends on Leicester finding a replacement, but the the arrival of Vlachodimos, the replacement they want, relies on Schmeichel’s departure. Who’s the chicken and who’s the egg then, chaps?

What is going on at Leicester, by the way? Brendan Rodgers understandably said at the end of last season that his squad needed a “healthy shake-up” after they finished outside the European spots.

“I said it needs a healthy shake-up, which most clubs always do around this period of time,” Rodgers said. “You want to keep your core players, of course, but you want to add quality.

“We don’t have masses of money but we want to bring in players that are ready to adapt to how we want to work.”

Well, the “core players” have stayed, though Youri Tielemans is clearly keen on leaving and we have no idea why Manchester United or Arsenal haven’t snapped him up yet, while Harvey Barnes has been linked with a move to Newcastle.

But they’ve signed no-one and don’t appear to be close to any deals, while their rivals continue to make significant strides to improve their starting XIs.