Brereton Diaz signs: 3 dreamy yet realistic Leicester City transfers the club should make this summer | OneFootball

Highlights

Leicester City look likely to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking following a positive, though at times turbulent, campaign in the second tier.

If the Foxes are to adjust back to top-flight life, then the transfer market this summer could be key to their success, ensuring they have a suitable squad to face what promises to be a tough season ahead.

A recently applied registration embargo under Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), to which the club have responded strongly to both the EFL and Premier League, adds a layer of uncertainty as to what the club will be able to do while outcomes are pending.

However, setting that aside for the moment, FLW takes a look at three dreamy, yet realistic, summer signings that Leicester could target...

Ben Brereton Diaz

The contract situation of current frontman Jamie Vardy is not yet determined, with talks currently underway but as yet no confirmed resolution.

Whether he remains at the King Power or not, at 37 years old he will need a strong supporting cast, especially if Leicester are in the league above next term, as the side have been too reliant on his goals this season for a player of his age.

An ideal candidate for that role would be a current Sheffield United attacker, on loan from Spanish outfit Villareal, Ben Brereton Diaz.

The 25-year-old struggled to adapt to life in La Liga following his switch as a free agent last summer, hence the temporary move to Bramall Lane for the latter half of this season.

He has been back to his best on his return to English soil and has taken his introduction to Premier League football well, notching multiple times across just a handful of appearances despite operating in a struggling Blades side.

The former Blackburn Rovers man has played as a traditional striker and out on the wing throughout his career, so this adaptability will work well if Vardy is to come in and out of the team. The pair won't always be fighting over one place in Leicester's current 4-3-3 structure.

Brereton Diaz signed a four-year deal with Villareal last summer, so may not come cheap, but conversely, the Spanish side may well see this as an ideal opportunity to turn a profit on a player they paid no transfer fee for and did little for them when he was in the side.

Having played in the top flight in both England and Spain now, he is unlikely to want to drop to the Championship, as the Blades look almost certain to do, so any thoughts of him turning his current temporary deal permanent would seem a stretch, opening the door for a club like Leicester.

Josh Brownhill

There is real potential that defensive midfielder Wilfred Ndidi will depart the King Power at the end of this season, with his current contract expiring this summer and no news of agreement over fresh terms.

Ndidi will be tough to replace, having operated in the middle of the park for the Foxes since the start of 2017. He is also that relatively unique brand of midfielder that offers balance and defensive security when required but can also help with goals, assists and progressing the ball from deeper areas.

Although slightly more attack-minded than Ndidi, Brownhill has proven he can play both sides of the role this season in a difficult season for Burnley, playing as part of a deep-lying central two with a key role in defensive actions, as shown in his FotMob player traits, but still finding routes to goal at the other end.

Leicester will need a solid base that can progress the play at the right times if they are to find success in the Premier League, and Brownhill appears to fit the bill having played a variety of midfield roles throughout his career.

His contract is due to expire this summer, but it does have a one-year extension clause included that Burnley reportedly want to activate. This may be purely to protect his value, so they can cash-in to support the likely relegation that is heading their way.

The Foxes have registered an interest in Brownhill before, so it will be intriguing to see if that pursuit accelerates as a result of the potential departure of Ndidi.

Emile Smith Rowe

The gaps in the Foxes midfield may deepen further given the significant interest in one of their star men, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

He is coming off the back of a notable Championship campaign, having been given the licence to get forward more often and boasting the most goal involvements in the Foxes squad as a result.

That has, understandably, drawn attention from some top Premier League sides and offers will likely be tabled this summer that could prove difficult to refuse.

Leicester declared that £40million was the minimum price to get them talking over a move for the 25-year-old earlier this year and, if their demands are met and a sale goes through, that could be reinvested in a blockbuster move for Arsenal's creative midfielder Emile Smith Rowe.

Smith Rowe was one of the hottest young names in English football just a few years ago but has fallen by the wayside under Mikel Arteta and no longer appears to be in the Gunners' plans, with journalist David Ornstein suggesting that all parties would now be open to a departure.

Still only 23 years old, the former England international has shown in previous years that he has bags of attacking ability, notching 10 Premier League goals and two assists in 33 appearances in the 2021/22 season, his last campaign of note at the Emirates.

Given the same licence to attack as afforded to Dewsbury-Hall, Smith Rowe would undoubtedly pose a threat to opposition sides, would be a strong signal of intent and has years ahead of him to develop.

Arsenal reportedly put a £60million price tag on the player towards the end of last year but, in contrast to Leicester's situation with Dewsbury-Hall, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Gunners are willing to offload Smith Rowe and any fee would be regarded as pure profit according to PSR rules, due to his academy graduate status, so that valuation could probably be dragged down.

It would be an ambitious move, and would be contingent on the club getting the most out of the Dewsbury-Hall sale and some strong negotiating on the buying side for Leicester to be pulled off, but the rewards could be immense.