Leicester City and Wrexham are battling to sign "next Jamie Vardy" | OneFootball

Two Sky Bet Championship clubs are battling it out for a non-league striker who has been described as the ‘next Jamie Vardy’.

Two Sky Bet Championship clubs are battling it out for a non-league striker who has been described as the ‘next Jamie Vardy’.

Leicester City, who Vardy recently left, and newly-promoted Wrexham, are both tracking the progress of Jayden Carbon.

A Jamie Vardy-type non-league sensation

Oxford City’s 19-year-old striker has been likened to Vardy, who remarkably finished his Leicester career with 500 appearances and 200 goals a few months ago.

The Premier League winner travelled an unconventional route to get his shot at the top-flight, learning his trade in the lower reaches of English football with Fleetwood Town and Halifax Town before earning his move to the Foxes.

Carbon has been touted to follow in his footsteps after a breakout campaign with Oxford’s second club, City. The striker, recognised for his pace, was the top-scoring teenager in the National League North last term.

He scored six times, with a goal in the FA Trophy sitting alongside his five in league action.

In the prior season, he made five appearances in the National League South - including a single start - and netted once.

Football Insider reports that both Leicester and Wrexham have been “altered to Carbon’s potential” and are now “tracking” the youngster.

Leicester City and Wrexham plotting different paths

Leicester and Wrexham are two clubs in very different positions. The Welsh Dragons have climbed up the divisions rapidly since Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over at the Racecourse Ground.

They managed a first, securing three promotions in a row from the National League to the Championship. The Phil Parkinson-led outfit finished second in Sky Bet League One last term, following Birmingham City.

Now, Wrexham look to build into the second tier and continue their rapid growth. They recently added Welsh international goalkeeper Danny Ward after he left the Foxes.

Leicester are not in the same stable place, as they instead ready to shuffle the pack this summer after being relegated from the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Dutch manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has departed after failing to see the club to safety. He joined Leicester in November 2024, after a spell as the interim chief at Manchester United, where he enjoyed much of his playing career.

It was an expected departure after just five wins in 27 games as manager, with off-the-field issues now looming large as well. There is a threat of a points deduction with financial woes troubling their return to the Championship.

Sought-after German coach Danny Rohl, who is in talks to find a compromise that would allow him to leave crisis-club Sheffield Wednesday, is seen as the front-runner for the hot seat at the King Power Stadium.

Carbon would not be a signing that would immediately impact the first team at either Leicester or Wrexham, but he would be a potential hot prospect and a striker worth following if he can emulate even part of what Vardy managed at the Foxes.