Michail Antonio’s potential move to Leicester City appears to be a step closer following the departure of Julian Carranza in January.
The 25-year-old joined on a season-long loan from Dutch giants Feyenoord in September but has struggled to find his feet at the Foxes.
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He leaves the Midlands without having scored in any of his nine Championship games and without an appearance since November 4th.
In a club statement
Before adding: “He leaves with our thanks and best wishes for the future.”
Take the me
The Argentine’s departure paves the way for Antonio to complete his move to Leicester, who sit 13th in the table.
Antonio is currently a free agent after being released by West Ham, ending a ten-year relationship with the Hammers.
The 35-year-old has not played at club level since suffering four broken legs in an accident with his Ferrari in December 2024.
West Ham decided against extending Antonio’s stay in east London but allowed the striker to continue his rehabilitation at the club.
And Antonio has been training with Leicester in recent weeks after previously making it clear he has no plans to retire despite his release from West Ham.
Last month, Foxes boss Marti Cifuentes confirmed the club was negotiating a permanent deal for Antonio.
“He is a player who has great experience in the Premier League,” said the Spaniard.
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“He’s training with us right now and we’re looking at it.
“He’s a good football player. He’s coming from a time without a team, but he’s only been training with us for a few days and looks good. He’s a good boy to have around too.”
On the way out?
Carranza is not the only player who may be leaving Leicester this month as the club look to remove a number of high earners from their books.
The Pitch Prospect understands Harry Winks, Wout Faes and Boubakary Soumare all face uncertain futures with the Championship side.
The trio were all left out of the matchday squad as the Foxes suffered a 3-1 defeat at Sheffield United on Thursday.
Goals from Japhet Tanganga, Thomas Cannon and Callum O’Hare sealed the three points for the Blades, who conceded a late consolation goal from Jordan James as Leicester suffered their third defeat in the last four.
Winks has not played for Leicester since being sent off at half-time in the 3-2 home defeat to Sheffield United in November, while the loss to the Blades could also prove to be Fae and Soumare’s final appearance in the Foxes shirt.
Winks’ exclusion from the Leicester squad was seen as a “technical decision” and last month, when asked whether the 29-year-old had played his last game for the club, Cifuentes refused to address speculation about the midfielder’s future at the club.
“I’ve already explained the situation. There’s no news about that. I want to focus more on the players who are doing so well this week,” Cifuentes said of Winks, who still has six months left on his contract with Leicester.
Faes is now the fourth central defender in Cifuentes’ side, while Soumare, whose contract also expires in the summer, has also lost his place at Leicester.
The Foxes will be hoping to bounce back from their New Year’s defeat at Bramall Lane when they play their first home game of 2026 when they host West Brom on Monday evening.