Jannik Vestergaard has opened up about his decision to stay at Leicester City this season – and what the future holds for him.
Vestergaard had been widely expected to leave the King Power Stadium in the summer transfer window after the team were relegat ed from the Premier League. The Danish defender says he turned down an offer to join a club in Saudi Arabia as he opted to remain with the Foxes and fight for a place under new boss Enzo Maresca.
The centre-back had been frozen out under previous manager Brendan Rodgers but has enjoyed a resurgence under Maresca. He has started 15 of Leicester’s 16 league fixtures so far and helped the team to the top of the Championship table.
His form has earned him a recall to the Denmark squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Slovenia and Northern Ireland. Who knows if that would have happened had he accepted a big-money move to join the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema – not to mention former Foxes Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante – in the Saudi Pro League.
Vestergaard confirmed he had rejected an offer from an unnamed Saudi club in a new interview with Danish outlet Tipsbladet. He added: “All the decisions I have made in my career have been based on an idea of what was best for me in terms of sports.
“The initial period in Leicester didn’t go as I had hoped, but I believe my subsequent club choices have.
“It has always been with football in mind; I have never chosen based on finances, and I won’t in the future either. So, I will never take the money and run.”
Vestergaard, who joined Leicester from Southampton for £15million in 2021, is in the final year of his current contract. The 31-year-old admits he does not know what the future holds for him just yet.
