Playing for Leicester City in the Championship again would harm Wout Faes’ international opportunities, it has been suggested, pushing the Belgian defender towards a summer exit.
Faes is a contender to leave City this summer having attracted reported interest from the likes of Lazio over the past six months.
And it has been reported in his native Belgium that his continued involvement in the national set-up is dependent on him earning a transfer.
Faes is in the Belgium squad for their World Cup qualifiers against North Macedonia on Friday and Wales on Monday, and he still earned call-ups during City’s last campaign in the Championship.
However, that was under a different manager. Rudi Garcia has since taken over and the sense in Belgium is that Faes needs to be playing top-flight football.
Belgian news outlet Het Nieuwsblad said: “Wout Faes is facing an inevitable departure from Leicester, who were relegated again.
“A return to the Championship seems out of the question, certainly if he wants to remain in the picture with the Red Devils. His market value is estimated at around €15m (£12.6m), but the question is whether a club will still want to pay that amount.”
Faes has two years remaining on his City contract, joining from Reims for £15m in 2022.
Despite mistakes and despite fans’ irritation with his performances, he was a consistent starter for City this past season, with only James Justin playing more minutes across all competitions.
Centre-back looks to be an area of priority for City in the summer transfer window amid doubts around a number of their senior options.
Caleb Okoli is being linked with a return to Italy while Jannik Vestergaard may leave after he was frozen out by Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Ben Nelson, who had been expected to return to the squad, potentially as a starter, after he impressed on loan at Oxford, has reportedly caught Chelsea’s eye, while Conor Coady has just a year remaining on his contract.
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Get your special Jamie Vardy edition of the Leicester Mercury
Jamie Vardy souvenir edition of the Leicester Mercury
It was certainly a fairytale ending to Jamie Vardy's Leicester City career - netting his 200th goal in his final match for the club.
To celebrate, we are launching a this special edition of the Leicester Mercury where we look back at the striker's amazing career - his journey from non-league to England international, his greatest goals and where he stands in the Foxes' list of all-time greats.
We also revisit the trophy-winning campaigns - the 2021 FA Cup and, of course, the 2016 Premier League title.
And there are plenty of tributes from those who played with him, against him and worked with him.
Jamie Vardy, it's certainly been a party!
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