Leicester City should plot Watford FC transfer raid amid Bilal El Khannouss exit fear | OneFootball

Leicester City should move for Giorgi Chakvetadze should Bilal El Khannouss’s reported relegation release clause be triggered.

Leicester City will once again be playing Championship football after their relegation from the Premier League was confirmed a matter of weeks ago.

Despite returning to the promised land of the top-flight under Enzo Maresca last term, the Italian manager jumped ship to join Chelsea, leaving former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper to take hold of the Foxes baton.

Proving an unpopular choice due to his previous connections in the East Midlands, the Welshman departed the club after just 12 games, with Leicester at the time sitting two points above the relegation zone.

But the appointment of former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy condemned Leicester back to the Championship, with the Dutch icon winning just four of his 25 top-flight matches in charge so far, tasting 17 defeats.

That kind of form has seen Leicester rooted into the bottom three, and their immediate relegation was confirmed after a 1-0 defeat to champions Liverpool towards the end of April.

A new season in the Championship will provide fresh challenges, with Van Nistelrooy likely to part ways with the club at the end of the term, while other first-team members are sure to seek moves away to help the club deal with the financial cuts relegation brings.

With player sales imminent due to Profit and Sustainability Rules concerns, Bilal El Khannouss is likely to make a swift exit and raise the most money after being one of Leicester’s better players in a dismal campaign.

If a move away from the King Power Stadium progresses, then Leicester will be on the hunt for a replacement number 10 to help provide the cutting edge to push them towards the top end of the table, and Watford’s Giorgi Chakvetadze could be just the man to invest in after a stellar season at Vicarage Road.

Bilal El Khannouss’ reported relegation release clause at Leicester City

One player who could be moving on from Leicester is Bilal El Khannouss.

The attacking midfielder reportedly has a £20 million relegation clause inserted into his contract after his move from Genk, making it likely that the 21-year-old moves on and provides the Foxes with greater financial spending power to attack the summer transfer window with.

While it will be a blow to not see El Khannouss progress in a Leicester shirt further after positive opening progress, Leicester will be able to spend those critical funds in a number of key positions to strengthen the squad further and help them target the automatic promotion places.

One area Leicester do need is players with proven Championship experience, and after a superb campaign at Watford, Giorgi Chakvetadze should be high on the agenda.

Giorgi Chakvetadze could be the ideal replacement for Bilal El Khannouss at Leicester City

Georgian international Giorgi Chakvetadze was one of the standout performers in a Watford side that narrowly missed out on the play-offs, with his untimely injury towards the end of the campaign ultimately derailing their push.

Recording two goals and six assists, Chakvetadze’s pace, direct running and ability to glide past players has made him a menace in the second tier, leading to previous interest from Leicester City themselves, as well as Wolves.

The Foxes are naturally going to be behind Wolves in the pecking order if the Black Country outfit come calling, with the attraction of Premier League football too good to turn down after such a superb campaign for the Hornets.

If Leicester can secure his signature though, then the playmaker is sure to get fans out of their seats, with his exciting and unpredictable style of play likely to give him the best possible chance of posting a career-best attacking contributions in a single season.

This appears to be a move that could suit both parties extremely well if the sale of El Khannouss goes through, with Chakvetadze possessing a similar style of play and the potential to be an integral part of the new set-up.

It will be interesting to see which way this saga turns next, but Leicester would be providing a statement of intent if they can lure the Watford man over to the East Midlands.