Leicester City plotting move to sign Premier League title-winner | OneFootball

Jeffrey Schlupp is on the Foxes' radar after eight-and-a-half years away from the club

Leicester City are plotting a move to re-sign Crystal Palace full-back Jeffrey Schlupp, who was part of their historic 2015/16 Premier League title-winning campaign, on a free transfer this summer, according to a new report.

The Foxes' immediate relegation back to the Championship was confirmed last month with five league games to spare, and a summer of change beckons for the East Midlands outfit with Ruud van Nistelrooy's future at the helm looking uncertain.

Numerous incomings and outgoings are expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks and months, following legendary striker Jamie Vardy's departure, and Leicester are believed to be eyeing up a transfer that would see out-of-contract Palace man Schlupp make a return to the King Power Stadium, eight-and-a-half years after his initial departure.

Leicester interested in Jeffrey Schlupp deal as he nears Crystal Palace exit

Schlupp spent the last half-season north of the border on loan at Celtic, following a January move, and he picked up a Scottish Premiership winners' medal for his Bhoys exploits as Brendan Rodgers' side cruised to a fourth successive league title win last month.

The 32-year-old came through the ranks at Leicester at the start of his professional career, and was a key part of the Foxes squad that won an unprecedented Premier League title back in 2015/16, then also went on to feature in the Champions League before a £12 million move to Palace in 2017.

The 32-year-old was a regular at Selhurst Park in his first few seasons at the club, but he saw his game-time limited after Oliver Glasner's appointment last season, and so moved to Celtic to see out his Eagles contract, which expires next month.

With his future beyond the summer uncertain, Football Insider have claimed that Leicester are eyeing up a move to re-sign Schlupp in the coming months as they prepare to return to the second-tier. He was pictured back in LE2 over the weekend, as the Foxes celebrated Vardy's departure with a gathering of past and present players to form a guard of honour.

The Foxes are believed to be planning to rebuild their squad following relegation from the Premier League, and see the ex-Ghana international's experience and versatility as standout attributes that would make him a key addition to their squad.

Schlupp would be a solid signing for Leicester - the romance of the move makes it a no-brainer

Leicester have endured some tough times in recent years as a club, especially when compared to their lofty heights of 2015/16 and the few seasons that followed, so bringing back a player who helped the club reach those heights would surely make sense as they look to bounce back in the Championship next term.

The romance of Schlupp returning can obviously not be understated, as he was an academy product who went on to win the Premier League with his boyhood club, but aside from that, he is also still a very handy player who looks to have a lot left in the tank as he nears the latter stages of his career.

His 34 Premier League appearances in 2022/23 were his most over a single campaign for the Eagles, and he continued to feature on occasion in the top-flight for the South London outfit at the start of this term before boss Glasner saw fit to allow him out on loan.

Schlupp featured 17 times in all competitions for Glasgow giants Celtic, scoring once and assisting once, and he put in a particularly strong showing at Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout-round as Rodgers' men stood firm until a late equaliser put the German side through on aggregate.

Another huge appeal to signing him is his impressive versatility, as, according to transfermarkt, he has been deployed in 11 different positions throughout his career, and so could surely impress further forward as well as at his natural left-back position in the second-tier next season.

Leicester are certainly going to need new additions this summer as they undergo a squad overhaul, and it is tough to look at Schlupp as anything but a stellar potential signing, based on both his past at the club and current ability.