Jamie Vardy to Arsenal: Gunners could face Leicester while trying to sign striker as Premier League fixtures revealed
Arsenal have activated Vardy's £20m release clause but have not heard back from the Leicester striker
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Your support makes all the difference.The new Premier League fixture list for the 2016/17 season has thrown up a controversial fixture during the second weekend of matches as reigning champions Leicester City host last season’s runners-up Arsenal at the King Power Stadium.
With Arsenal activating the £20m release clause in striker Jamie Vardy’s contract, the two clubs are currently battling to persuade the England international to sign a new contract, be it a brand new deal with the Gunners or an extension at the King Power Stadium.
Despite being out in France at Euro 2016, Vardy is still mulling over his future, and is not expected to inform Arsenal with his decision until England return from the European Championship. At present, Vardy is believed to be leaning towards remaining with Leicester and snubbing Arsenal, but anything can still happen and there is nothing preventing the north London side from making an improved offer to try and lure the 29-year-old to the Emirates.
Arsenal have offered Vardy a three-year contract worth £120,000-a-week, while the Foxes are willing to make the forward their highest paid player by some margin in the form of a deal that is in the region of £100,000-a-week.
With all the complications that go with football transfers, the last thing any team wants is to play the club that is trying to poach their star player, but that could be what happens on 20 August if Vardy’s future is not secured by the start of the new campaign.
After Arsenal face Liverpool on the opening weekend and Leicester take on Hull, the two clubs meet at the King Power Stadium in what could prove an awkward match for Vardy. Should negotiations continue through until August, Vardy could face the possibility of facing a club that he is considering joining, with the transfer window remaining open until the 31 August.
Arsenal could also look to use the uncertainty over Vardy to their advantage by making another offer in the days before the match. Any such move would be frowned upon and likely to infuriate Leicester, though the Gunners have shown a mischievous side before when they bid £40m plus £1 to try and activate a release clause in Luis Suarez’s contract when he was at Liverpool in 2013.
Vardy can, however, put all the uncertainty to bed by making his decision to either join Arsenal or sign the new contract put on the table by Leicester upon his return to England either this month or next.
Arsena's full fixture list
August
13: Liverpool (h)
20: Leicester City (a)
27: Watford (a)
September
10: Southampton (h)
17: Hull City (a)
24: Chelsea (h)
October
01: Burnley (a)
15: Swansea City (h)
22: Middlesbrough (h)
29: Sunderland (a)
November
05: Tottenham Hotspur (h)
19: Manchester United (a)
26: A.F.C. Bournemouth (h)
December
03: West Ham United (a)
10: Stoke City (h)
14: Everton (a)
17: Manchester City (a)
26: West Bromwich Albion (h)
31: Crystal Palace (h)
January
02: A.F.C. Bournemouth (a)
14: Swansea City (a)
21: Burnley (h)
31: Watford (h)
February
04: Chelsea (a)
11: Hull City (h)
25: Southampton (a)
March
04: Liverpool (a)
11: Leicester City (h)
18: West Bromwich Albion (a)
April
01: Manchester City (h)
04: West Ham United (h)
08: Crystal Palace (a)
15: Middlesbrough (a)
22: Sunderland (h)
29: Tottenham Hotspur (a)
May
06: Manchester United (h)
13: Stoke City (a)
21: Everton (h)
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