Leicester City and England striker Jamie Vardy could be closing in on transfer to Arsenal, as the Gunners are currently making a move for him. A week after the club’s official site posted a link to Vardy rumors on its news section, it was widely reported that the north London side have triggered his release clause.
Yes, the Premier League’s second leading scorer (behind Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane, and tied with Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero) could be headed to the Emirates, if he wants to. Leicester are hoping he’ll stay at the King Power Stadium, but Arsenal seem to be confident that they’ll close this deal; especially striker Olivier Giroud.
“I have been told that Jamie wants to join us and it’s very good news for us. I think we can be complimentary and that’s all I can say,” said the Gunner attacker.
“He’s a fantastic player, so it’s good news for us.”
On February 7th, Vardy signed a new Leicester contract extension that was intended to keep him at the club until 2019. It reportedly £80,000 a week until 2019. However, Arsenal have triggered the £22 million release clause which applies to any team which qualified for the UEFA Champions League.
Olivier Giroud maintains that he’s not worried about Vardy taking his playing time away from him. He insists that Vardy’s addition will help the team move forward.
“As I said in the past I am happy with competition,” he told Sky Sports News. “We have always had fantastic strikers at Arsenal and I want the best for this club. Hopefully he is going to help us win this title.
“The boss [Arsene Wenger] wanted to sign at least one or two strikers, so I expected a top striker and I think it will benefit the club and hopefully he is going to score a lot of goals like he did at Leicester.”
It’s been widely reported that Vardy will undergo a medical at the Emirates today. If the deal is indeed completed, what an emblematic splash signing it would be.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram