Harry winks close to Joining Cagliari
Leicester City midfielder Harry Winks is on the verge of finalizing a surprise move to Serie A outfit Cagliari as the Foxes prepare for life in League One.
According to Alfredo Pedulla, advanced negotiations are underway between all parties, with new Leicester manager Russell Martin reportedly green-lighting the 30-year-old’s exit. The move comes as the former Premier League champions manage a severe financial overhaul following their second consecutive relegation. A six-point deduction last season compounded a miserable campaign in the Championship, forcing the club into a significant summer clearing policy to balance the books.
Winks, who arrived at the King Power Stadium from boyhood club Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2023 for an estimated £10 million, was a foundational piece under Enzo Maresca during Leicester’s promotion charge. Over his three years in the East Midlands, the former England international racked up 101 appearances and scored three goals. However, his high wages have become unsustainable for a club plummeting into England’s third tier.
Though initially thought to be out of contract this summer, a promotion clause triggered during his debut year extended Winks’ security at the club for another 12 months. Rather than losing him for nothing or holding onto an expensive asset in League One, Leicester’s hierarchy has opted to sanction a permanent transfer. The departure is expected to clear a massive pathway for highly-rated academy prospect Sammy Braybrooke, who returns to the senior setup following successful League Two loan spells at Chesterfield and Newport County.
A switch to Sardinia marks a return to familiar territory for Winks, who spent the 2022-23 season on loan with Sampdoria, engineering 20 appearances in Italy before his permanent move to Leicester. He looks set to join a growing contingent of British midfielders finding a resurgence in the technical landscape of Serie A.
Talks between Cagliari and Winks’ representatives are moving swiftly, with expectations growing on both sides that the transfer will be finalized well ahead of the new season.
