The rebuild at the King Power Stadium looks set to begin following Leicester City’s relegation from the Premier League in May.
Leicester are looking to target former Everton defender Conor Coady as the club look to revamp their back line and potentially move on from title-winning Northern Ireland international Jonny Evans.
Leicester City transfer news – Conor Coady
The Foxes, under new manager Enzo Maresca, are said to be eyeing a move for the 30-year-old defender, per TEAMtalk.
Coady is returning to the Midlands after the Toffees decided against making his loan deal at Goodison Park a permanent one at the culmination of the season.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain, who is valued at £18m by FootballTransfers, is unlikely to feature in Julian Lopetaugi’s plans moving forward, so it is likely the centre-back will be leaving Molineux this summer.
Leicester have already lost two defenders this summer, with Caglar Soyuncu and Daniel Amartey leaving the King Power Stadium on free transfers.
Soyuncu will be joining Atletico Madrid while TEAMtalk report Amartey could reunite with former Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers at Celtic.
Jonny Evans, meanwhile, has yet to sign a new contract at Leicester, with his current deal expiring this summer.
Will Conor Coady replace Jonny Evans at Leicester?
Leicester and Maresca will be looking at Coady’s experience with Wolves and Everton in the top-flight and how it can help guide the Foxes back to England’s top division.
Coady was a huge part of the Wolves team that gained promotion in 2018 from the Championship. The colossal defender played all 45 league games that season and his almost perfect injury record shows he can be relied on in a gruelling promotion run.
Jamie Carragher has sang the praises of the fellow Liverpool native, per Sky Sports, describing the defender as “one of the nicest lads you could meet and he has a great attitude."
“Forget football ability for one moment, if you have got those two things that gives you a great chance of going far in the game. The only way you can describe him is that he’s a manager’s dream," he added.
Coady has also featured regularly in the England international set up through his career and especially at youth level.
The former Sheffield United loanee has double-digit caps for England U17s (17) and England U19s (12). The experienced titan also has ten senior caps to his name under Gareth Southgate, having made his debut at the age of 27.
His leadership could be invaluable in a defence that struggled in the Premier League last season.
Leicester need a player at the back, one that can be relied on the play regular football, especially considering the injury record of Evans.
A calf injury kept Evans out of the Foxes team for 143 days during the 2022/23 season, with the Northern Ireland leader missing a whopping 24 games this season, per Transfermarkt.
Evans also missed 19 games last season due to a hamstring injury, and his injury record shows an inability to stay fully fit when needed.
Coady’s availability on the field, vast experience and leadership qualities could be invaluable as it will give Leicester a chance to move on from the likes of Evans this off-season, with Maresca looking to rebuild their backline and begin a charge back to the Premier League.