LONDON: Arsenal are trying to lure England striker Jamie Vardy away from Premier League champions Leicester City in a move worth around £20 million ($29m, 25.5m euros) Britain's Guardian newspaper reported Friday.
Vardy scored 24 league goals as Leicester, 5,000/1 rank outsiders, were crowned champions of England last season, finishing 10 points in front of second-placed Arsenal, one of the Premier League's established powers.
His club form saw Vardy force his way into England's squad for the upcoming European Championships.
Signing Vardy, who is already 29, would mark a major change in Arsenal's transfer policy under long-serving French manager Arsene Wenger.
But the Guardian said "the striker's availability for a relatively modest fee, and the alternative option that he provides in attack with his searing pace, has fuelled the manager's interest".
However, it was only in February that Vardy signed an improved three-anda-half-year contract with Thai-owned Leicester.
The Guardian said Leicester could offer Vardy a new deal if they think that is what it will take to keep him at the Midlands club.
It seems the forward now has a momentous decision to make. A well-liked member of the Leicester squad -- the players celebrated their title-winning success with a party at Vardy's house.
However, he only became a full-fledged professional player in 2012, after nine years in non-league football, and if Arsenal are offering significantly more money than he's getting at Leicester, Vardy could find it hard to turn down the Gunners.
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