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Football

06th Jun 2018

Jonny Evans’ release clause means Leicester are about to land the bargain of the summer

Evans reportedly came close to joining Man City in January

Simon Lloyd

Jonny Evans is finally leaving West Brom

The former Manchester United defender is believed to have agreed terms with Leicester City, after being linked with moves to Arsenal and Manchester City in the January transfer window.

It was reported Pep Guardiola was considering sanctioning a bid of nearly £25m to add him to his squad midway through last season, eventually opting to bring in Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao instead.

Although £25m might seem relatively cheap in the current transfer market, it dwarfs the fee Leicester are believed to be paying for the 30-year-old. As reported by the BBC, the 2016 Premier League champions will pay just £3.5m for Evans, which will be payable in two instalments of £1.75m. This comes as a result of a relegation clause inserted in the Northern Ireland international’s contract.

Evans came through the youth ranks at United, where he was highly rated by Sir Alex Ferguson. After loan spells at Royal Antwerp and Sunderland, he featured regularly in the club’s first team. However, he was allowed to leave Old Trafford by Louis van Gaal three years ago, joining West Brom.

Evans inherited the Midlands club’s captaincy from former United teammate Darren Fletcher, who departed for Stoke City last summer.