Leicester City have confirmed the departure of George Hirst on their official website. Hirst has joined Ipswich Town on a permanent deal for a fee in the region of £1.5 million.
The Sheffield-born forward returns to Portman Road having spent last season on loan with the club. Hirst was a key player for Ipswich last season, and his six goals in League One helped the club to secure promotion back to the Championship.
Since joining the Foxes in 2019, Hirst has had loan stints with Rotherham United, Portsmouth, and Blackburn Rovers, prior to his first spell with the Tractor Boys.
Given that Leicester now find themselves in the Championship too, Enzo Maresca may have been tempted to give the player another opportunity at the King Power Stadium, but instead the 24-year-old has been allowed to move on. He did play for Leicester in the Premier League on two occasions, both outings coming in the 2019/2020 campaign.
A summer of change at Leicester
Hirst may be followed out of the King Power Stadium by club legend Jamie Vardy this summer, who is apparently a target for Everton. Harvey Barnes also looks set for an exit, whilst James Maddison, Youri Tielemans, and Caglar Soyuncu have already moved on.
New manager Maresca is overseeing a summer of change at Leicester ahead of a challenging season, and will be keen to reshape the squad in his image. The arrival of Conor Coady and Harry Winks has got the ball rolling on that project. Clearly, Hirst wan’t destined to be part of Maresca’s plans.
