Historic Everton interest in Leicester City player revealed amid ongoing Aston Villa links | OneFootball

Former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness has claimed that the Toffees have been interested in a move for Leicester City's Kelechi Iheanacho.

The Nigerian striker is out of contract at the King Power Stadium this summer after spending seven years with the club since joining from Manchester City in the summer of 2017.

With his contract up with the Foxes this summer, the striker has been linked with a move to Premier League side Aston Villa, and it appears that the player wants to move on after rejecting attempts from Leicester to extend his deal.

Keith Wyness was Everton's chief executive between 2004 and 2009, and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs, and he told Football Insider's Inside Track podcast that Everton have been interested in a move for the Leicester City man.

Kelechi Iheanacho could land a "good move in the Premier League"

Speaking on Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Keith Wyness said he believes that Kelechi Iheanacho could land a good move this summer in the Premier League if he departed Leicester City.

With the likes of Aston Villa, and potentially Everton, interested in the striker, he looks set to depart the King Power Stadium this summer, and he wore a t-shirt that said “We’ve got history. When I’m gone, you gon’ miss me" during the club's trophy presentation last week.

Wyness believes that the player could be putting pressure on the Foxes' board to try and negotiate a better deal.

He told the podcast: "I would’ve thought it would be his agent that would’ve advised him on the t-shirt.

"He could be trying to put fan pressure on the board.All these little things aren’t a coincidence, there is usually something going on behind the scenes.

"I think he can do a big job for Premier League sides, he’s someone I’d keep an eye on.I know Everton have been interested in him, and he’s got the ability to get a good move in the Premier League.

"But for Leicester, they will want to keep as much stability as possible.However, if you can’t reach agreements, then nothing can get done."

It remains to be seen where Iheanacho will be playing his football next season, but it seems he certainly won't be short of options, and Everton could potentially move for the striker this summer.

Leicester City will want to keep Kelechi Iheanacho this summer

Kelechi Iheanacho has been a success since joining the Foxes in 2017, and helped the club win the FA Cup and enjoy a number of European campaigns.

It's been a somewhat disappointing campaign for the player as he played just 23 league games, scoring five times, but he has shown in the past that he can be a very good player at Premier League level, as shown by the transfer interest.

Losing the Nigerian striker on a free would be far from ideal, and if he was to depart, the Foxes would have wanted to receive a transfer fee for the player.

With this in mind, the Foxes will want to keep hold of him this summer, just so that he doesn't leave on a free transfer.

Also, with uncertainty over Jamie Vardy's future at the club, Enzo Maresca's side will presumably want to keep the Nigerian to ensure they have sufficient quality striking options next season.

If Iheanacho was to leave Leicester, it wouldn't take long for him to get snapped up by a Premier League rival, and this could come back to haunt the club next season.