FootyChatter.com

Leicester City midfielder Bilal El Khannouss has a relegation release clause worth £22. 5million, talk SPORT understands. The Foxes only signed the Moroccan from Genk last summer for £20m, but face losing the 21-year-old after only one season. El Khannouss is not agitating for a move, but the clause was inserted to give him the chance to leave Leicester should relegation occur. Sunderland and Nottingham Forest hold a concrete interest in El Khannouss, while Everton, West Ham and Monaco have made checks. Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen manager Erik ten Hag is also a fan of the young star, who is comfortable as both a No. 8 and No. 10. The ex-Man United boss was also a driving force in exploring Justin Kluivert, even though Bournemouth don't wish to sell. Leverkusen are yet to bid for either player but are assessing all options after losing Florian Wirtz to Liverpool. Saudi clubs have also enquired on El Khannouss, but it appears he is prioritising remaining in Europe if he leaves the East Midlands, which is no guarantee unless his clause is met. El Khannouss featured 36 times for Leicester last season, scoring three times and assisting five goals in all competitions. He was viewed by many supporters as a lone bright spark in what was a dismal campaign for the Foxes. His creative flair and endless work ethic often gave his side a glimmer of hope in games that the rest of his teammates struggled. And with a season in the Championship beckoning, top-flight clubs are ready to swoop in and bring him back amongst the elite. El Khannouss is not the only Leicester player to have a relegation release clause too, as talk SPORT have previously reported. Wilfred Ndidi is also available on the market for £9million. Man United, Everton, Real Betis, Juventus and Al-Ahli all have the Nigerian midfielder on their radar. But clubs have been reluctant to pay the clause, knowing Ndidi also arrives with high wages. Leicester have shown no willingness to sell Ndidi for less to date. However, the Foxes are reported to have to sell players before they can buy any, leaving them in a tough situation. Leicester look set to potentially lose two of their star players soon after the appointment of Marti Cifuentes. Cifuentes was confirmed as the replacement for Ruud van Nistelrooy on Tuesday and took training for the first time on Wednesday. Van Nistelrooy was sacked last month after relegation was confirmed. The Leicester squad are now heading to Austria for a pre-season training camp and as things stand, El Khannouss will be there. He has also been part of training at the club's Seagrave training facility throughout the week too. But should one of the many teams interested trigger his clause, then he could well be set to depart the club. © 2025 talk SPORT Limited

Registered in England No. 2806093. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF

talk SPORT is a registered trade mark of Wireless Group Media (GB) Limited.

This service is provided on talk SPORT Limited's Terms of Use in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy.