Leicester City have confirmed the departures of Youri Tielemans, Caglar Soyuncu, Daniel Amartey, Papy Mendy, Ayoze Perez, Ryan Bertrand, and Tete, but Jonny Evans could yet stay
Leicester City have confirmed the departures of seven senior players as their squad exodus continues, but they remain in talks with skipper Jonny Evans over a new deal.
City have released their retained list following their Premier League relegation, with nearly all of those out of contract at the end of June heading for the exit.
Youri Tielemans has already announced the end of his time at City while Caglar Soyuncu’s move to Atletico Madrid has been confirmed by their manager Diego Simeone. Joining them in saying goodbye are Papy Mendy, Daniel Amartey, Tete, Ryan Bertrand, and Ayoze Perez. The seven players collectively joined City for more than £100m, but leave for nothing.
But it’s not yet certain what happens with Evans. The club remain in contract talks with the centre-back, who recovered from injury in time to play the final three games of the season.
Speaking about his own future at the end of the campaign, he said: “I’ve loved my time here. It’s been an amazing five years. I had a brief chat with (director of football) Jon Rudkin and I understand that the club are in limbo.
“I’m sure they’ll make the right decisions and, for everyone involved, I hope the club can get back to where we all feel it should be. I’ve said before it’s a fantastic club and I believe they will be back.”
City have also confirmed that they have exercised an option in Hamza Choudhury’s contract to keep him at the club until 2024. He is expected to be part of City’s Championship squad after spending last season on loan in the division with Watford.
For now, there are goodbyes to be said to a number of players. Amartey’s departure means just two of the title-winners now remain under contract at the club in Jamie Vardy and Marc Albrighton. The Ghanaian joined midway through the Premier League-winning campaign, and while a serious ankle break saw him go nearly two years without a league appearance, he became more prominent in the squad over the recent seasons, filling in consistently amid a host of injuries in the centre of defence.
Mendy is another long-serving player heading for the exit after seven years contracted at the club. He was briefly City’s record signing after joining for £13m from Nice, but he suffered an ankle injury on his debut, meaning he barely featured in his first two years at the club, spending the second of those back on loan in France.
However, he established as a reliable performer at the base of the midfield and also featured more prominently in recent years, with calls from supporters this term for him to get more game-time. Between then, Amartey and Mendy made more than 250 appearances for City.
Perez’s permanent departure was confirmed when he left on loan in January to join Real Betis, while it has long been suspected that Bertrand would leave at the end of his deal, the veteran left-back out since December 2021 with a knee injury.
For Tete, he becomes a free agent while Fifa decide the circumstances around overseas players contracted at Ukrainian clubs. The Brazilian winger produced a mesmerising debut, but could not back it up.
In a statement, City said: “The Football Club extends its thanks to all seven players for their contributions during their time with Leicester City and wishes them every success in the next stages of their respective careers.”
Evans may get the chance to add to 152 City appearances he’s made since joining from West Brom in 2018, while Choudhury is expected to come back into the frame with other midfield departures to come. The academy product ranked second for tackles and interceptions in the Championship last season.
