Leicester City reportedly may be forced into selling up to six players in the summer transfer window should they be relegated from the Premier League.
The Foxes are set to take on Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday at Stamford Bridge where, and former boss Enzo Maresca will be in the home dugout.
Current manager Ruud van Nistelrooy will have to start picking up wins if his side have any ambition of avoiding relegation, but given his side are second last in 19th place with just 17 points – six adrift of 17th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers – it is difficult to see how they will survive.
In the event of relegation from the top flight, it would not be surprising if numerous stars were poached by clubs across Europe.
Leicestershire Live claim that Mads Hermansen, Bilal El Khannouss, Wout Faes, Conor Coady, Boubakary Soumare and Patson Daka are all candidates to leave the King Power Stadium in the summer.
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Whose exit would be the most damaging?
Bilal El Khannouss has been one of the few bright spots for the Foxes this season, and his progressive passing ability has often helped to instigate attacks, though he has been let down on numerous occasions by his teammates.
The 20-year-old still needs time to develop, but to lose out on his talent could be detrimental to the Foxes hopes of earning promotion straight back to the top flight.
Elsewhere, Patson Daka arrived at Leicester the summer of 2021 as a 22-year-old but has failed to live up to expectations, though he has only started once in the league this season.
Daka managed to score seven goals and provide five assists in 20 Championship appearances in 2023-24, and his presence as an experienced attacking option would be beneficial in the second tier.
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Can Leicester bounce back from a mass exodus?
Van Nistelrooy has so far only won seven points from a possible 42 since his appointment as boss in November, and he has lost 11 of his last 12 in the league.
If several players were to depart the team in the summer, there are question marks about whether the club should trust the Dutchman to lead a rebuild of the squad considering he has so far failed to impress.
The Leicester boss could find it difficult to navigate a season in the Championship, especially if the likes of Daka and El Khannouss leave and deplete his side’s attack.
Legendary striker Jamie Vardy is still at the club, but his impact has significantly waned as he has aged, and Van Nistelrooy has not proven he is capable of constructing a functioning attacking unit.
