JibrinHarry Winks will not be leaving Leicester City on a free transfer this summer as it has emerged that his contract was extended two years ago.
Winks signed a three-year deal at City when he joined from Tottenham for a fee rising to £10m in 2023. His contract would, therefore, be due to expire this summer.
However, it’s understood that City’s promotion to the Premier League in 2024 triggered a clause in Winks’ deal that added an extra year to his contract.
It means, this summer, he will still have 12 months remaining at the King Power Stadium, and so if he was to leave, it would be for a fee.
Winks, a pivotal figure in Enzo Maresca’s Championship-winning squad, has endured a turbulent 18 months since, with both Ruud van Nistelrooy and Marti Cifuentes opting to leave the midfielder out during the final stages of their reigns.
Upon his reintegration into the squad in late January, he was greeted with a divided response, with fans voicing both disapproval and approval for his comeback in equal measure.
He is now firmly back in the starting XI and appears set to play a crucial role for Gary Rowett as City fight to avoid relegation to League One.
Particularly if they drop down, but even if they preserve their status, Winks would be a prime candidate to move on from the club this summer.
However, any interested parties will now be required to cough up a fee for his services. Any sum exceeding £2.5m would guarantee City turn a profit on Winks regarding Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Winks’ rumoured salary might deter clubs considering a move for the 30-year-old, but it’s believed that his wage is less than half the £90,000-per-week figure that has been circulating.
Provisions in the contracts of all City players resulted in salaries being slashed significantly following last season’s demotion from the Premier League to the Championship.
With Winks secured for another 12 months, that means there are six senior players whose contracts are expiring this summer: Ricardo Pereira, Patson Daka, Jordan Ayew, Jamaal Lascelles, Asmir Begovic, and Wanya Marcal.
City are also poised to lose their five-man loan group of Jordan James, Divine Mukasa, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Aribo and Dujuan Richards.
Jibrin
