Manchester United and Chelsea are among the clubs keeping a close eye on Jamie Vardy's contract situation at Leicester City, according to a report.
The 35-year-old - who was bedevilled by injuries in the 2021-22 season - now has less than 12 months left to run on his existing deal at the King Power Stadium.
Brendan Rodgers has already planned for life without Vardy by bringing in Patson Daka to compete with Kelechi Iheanacho, pouring doubt over the prospect of a new deal for Vardy.
According to 90Min, Chelsea and Man United are both monitoring the situation, but they are only two of a "number" of Premier League clubs considering a swoop for the ex-England international.
The report adds that the Foxes have not opened negotiations with Vardy over a new contract, but Rodgers told reporters earlier this year that he was "relaxed" about the situation.
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"There probably will have been some discussions behind the scenes, but at this moment in time, we're quite relaxed on it. He's very happy here. I'm sure we'll assess it and look at it in the summer," 90Min quotes Rodgers as saying.
Despite his injury problems, Vardy still managed to register 17 goals and two assists in 33 appearances for Leicester last term, including 15 strikes from 25 Premier League outings.
The Englishman was a notable late bloomer in the game but has nevertheless struck 164 goals and set up 63 more in 385 games for Leicester, including 133 goals in the Premier League.
Vardy has won the Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield during his 10-year spell at the King Power, as well as helping Leicester earn promotion to the top flight with 2013-14 Championship glory.
Whether Leicester are willing to sanction the veteran striker's exit is another question entirely, as Rodgers is yet to welcome a single new signing to the club in the current transfer window.
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The Foxes are also on the verge of losing Kasper Schmeichel to Ligue 1 side Nice but are intent on keeping Chelsea target Wesley Fofana, whom they value at £80m.
Man United are said to be monitoring Vardy's situation amid continued uncertainty surrounding the future of Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still pushing to leave the club.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner supposedly wants to find a new club by the end of the week, but agent Jorge Mendes is struggling to find suitors for his client after Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain all ruled out moves.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have allowed Romelu Lukaku to re-join Inter Milan on loan and could yet be waving goodbye to Armando Broja and Timo Werner before the transfer window slams shut.
Thomas Tuchel is fighting to keep hold of Broja, who is reportedly on the radar of Real Madrid, while RB Leipzig are alleged to be making progress in their efforts to re-sign Werner.
Ben Knapton
