Jamie Vardy to Arsenal: Leicester City vice-chairman hoping England striker turns down Gunners move

Leicester City vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha is hopeful that striker Jamie Vardy will turn down the advances of Arsenal and remain with the Foxes next season. The Gunners triggered the £20m release clause in the striker's contract, but he is yet to make a decision regarding his future deferring it until the end of England's Euro 2016 campaign to avoid unnecessary distractions.

The 29-year-old striker led the King Power Stadium outfit to the Premier League title last season, and was rewarded with a new contract midway though the campaign, when the release clause was inserted. Claudio Ranieri confirmed that the north London club had agreed to pay the full buyout clause, but the final decision lay with Vardy.

Arsene Wenger is keen to add a striker to the squad this summer and made a move for the England international just before the Three Lions departed to France for the European Championships. However, the Foxes countered with a new offer of their own, which has put his move to Arsenal in doubt.

The club's vice-chairman is hoping to keep their entire title winning squad together as they embark on their debut Champions League campaign next season. Vardy is not the only player linked with a move away with teammate and PFA player of the year Riyad Mahrez and French midfielder N'Golo Kante have also been linked with big money moves away from Leicester.

"You will see the news very soon. But I think he will stay," Srivaddhanaprabha told the Daily Mail.

"I think, so let's see. We need to build the team. We keep continuing to believe that we can do something special in the Premier League and the Champions League."

"The Champions League is going to be amazing for Leicester, so let's see. Leicester is the underdog and we can still be the underdog," he added.

The 24-goal striker, meanwhile, was also coy with regards to his future during a press conference following the Three Lions' win over Wales in the Euros, and has made it clear that his only focus at the moment is England.

"There is only one thing I want to do here and that is play football to the best of my ability," he explains. "If I let things start distracting me, I'm not going to be able to do that, which will jeopardise the team as well. So everything has been completely blanked out except for England, England, England," Vardy said, as quoted by the Guardian.