Harry Winks on the verge of European transfer to end Leicester nightmare

Harry Winks is closing in on a surprise move to Serie A side Cagliari.

The Leicester City midfielder has been strongly linked with a move away from the club since their relegation to League One was confirmed in April.

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Winks, one of the Foxes’ highest earners, joined the Midlands club in 2023 in a £10million deal and played a key role in their Championship title success under Enzo Maresca.

However, he suffered fallouts with two future Leicester managers and held a frosty relationship with the club’s supporters.

He was excluded from the first-team squad by Ruud van Nistelrooy in the 2024/25 season after a disagreement and refusal to stay overnight at the club’s Seagrave Training Ground once a week.

He was recalled to the squad at the start of last season under Marti Cifuentes but was dropped following a below-par performance in the 3-2 defeat to Sheffield United in November.

Discussions underway

Winks, who has one year remaining on his deal, is now expected to complete a move back to Serie A with the Sardinian outfit.

Cagliari are pushing to finalise a deal for the 30-year-old to bolster their midfield options ahead of the new season.

Discussions have taken place with Winks who enjoyed a stint on loan at Sampdoria in the 2022/23 campaign.

Both clubs are keen to get a deal over the line with Leicester in need of transfer funds whilst aiming to significantly trim their wage bill.

Winks reported back for pre-season training last week under new boss Russell Martin and although the player could be deemed a good fit for Martin’s style, it appears unlikely that he will feature for the 40-year-old.

The Foxes are slowly offloading their high earners, some of which were earning Premier League-style wages.

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Strikers Patson Daka and Jordan Ayew were both released following the club’s relegation to the third tier.

Jamaal Lascelles, who was brought in on a short-term deal in January has also left the club, as has captain Ricardo Pereira.

Moroccan World Cup star Bilal El Khannouss, who spent last season on loan at VfB Stuttgart has completed a £12.8m permanent switch to the Bundesliga club.

Meanwhile, centre-back Jannik Vestergaard is understood to have held meetings with the club about terminating his contract with immediate effect.

Vestergaard has one year remaining on his deal but has not reported back for pre-season training.

The Telegraph claim that discussions are ongoing over a settlement with the Denmark international among Leicester big earners.

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There are also doubts over the future of Wout Faes who spent last season on loan at Monaco, while Ben Nelson and Caleb Okoli have both been linked with moves to Italy.

Leicester kick off just their second ever season in the third tier with a trip to fellow East Midlands side Notts County on Saturday, August 15.