Amadou Haidara and four more transfers Leicester City could do if Youri Tielemans leaves

Leicester City’s transfer success has been based on the ‘pipeline’. In other words, it’s about having targets lined up to replace any player in the squad should they depart.

Right now, that pipeline is particularly important. Because soon, City may need it to replace one of the best players in their side. The likelihood of Youri Tielemans signing a new contract appears to be slim, with Brendan Rodgers giving the clearest indication yet that the Belgian midfielder could move on in the summer.

But as always, City will be prepared for such a scenario, with the recruitment working behind the scenes to identify players who could be signed to fill his boots. It's understood that a new box-to-box number eight is being looked at as a key position for recruitment in the summer.

“You always have to (make plans for a player's exit), that is key,” Rodgers said in January. “I have said it before about the pipeline of players; you always have to be looking ahead, that's important. Sometimes it happens unexpectedly, other times you know where the situation is at.

“We will always look for the type of player who suits how we work. That’s always been the case and it will be the same with any player in any position. If we are going to lose one we have to be ready for the next one to come in.”

So when the scouts look for players who can replace Tielemans, what attributes will they be looking for? The way the Belgian moves the ball about the park is key to City, Tielemans always ready to receive it and then possessing the vision, precision, and positivity to play it forward into attacking areas. So City would need a player who ranks high for progressive passing yards, and passes into the final third.

Creativity and chance creation is also an