Watford striker Troy Deeney. (Photo : Getty Images)
Newly-crowned English Premier League champions Leicester City FC are reportedly trying to add Watford striker Troy Deeney to their roster this summer as head coach Claudio Ranieri looks for an ideal partner for resident goalscorer Jamie Vardy.
The Telegraph reported that Leicester is "ready to pay a staggering £30 million for the Hornets captain" as soon as the summer transfer window opens this July.
Deeney is said to be amenable to changing squads next season as he had demanded negotiations be held between the English top flight champions and his mother club Watford for his possible transfer. The Hornets had already turned down two previous offers from the Foxes, including a £25 million bid last weekend.
The 27-year-old Birmingham native is rumored to be ready to join Ranieri's squad anytime soon and so Watford's board members are set to meet this week with regards to the future of their prized striker.
Should the £30 million offer be accepted by the Hornets, Deeney will become the third most expensive transfer in English history after Raheem Sterling's £49 million move from Liverpool to Manchester City last summer and Andy Carroll's £35 million switch from Newcastle United to Liverpool in 2011.
Meanwhile, Caught Offside noted that the £30 million price tag for Deeney is perhaps too much for the Foxes to spend. The report mentioned that Leicester will not give up its "pursuit of Watford striker Troy Deeney even if it means potentially overpaying for the English striker".
Still, the reigning champs are keen on taking in last season's 13-goal English star. Vardy was the second-best scorer last season with 24 goals, only a goal behind top scorer Harry Kane of the Tottenham Hotspurs.
Deeney has a total of 96 goals in a total of 263 appearances in all competitions for the Hornets since he was acquired from Walsall in the summer of 2010.
Deeney played for the first time in the English first division domestic competitions in the recent term after spending the last five seasons with Watford in the Football League Championship, England's second division football league.
They qualified in the English top flight by placing second to AFC Bournemouth during the 2014-2015 season together with Norwich City, who placed third. Watford and Bournemouth were able to remain in the Premier League next season while Norwich is going back to the Championship.
