Leicester promise Demarai Gray more playing time to head off Tottenham interest

The 2015/16 Premier League champions are ready to make their starlet more of a first-team regular

Leicester City are ready to offer Demarai Gray more first-team football with Tottenham among the clubs keeping tabs on the talented young winger.

Gray made just nine Premier League starts last season but impressed in his substitute appearances before a strong tournament display at this summer's European Under-21 championship.

The winger was ready to force and exit over concerns about being held back but, with the Foxes preparing to sell Riyad Mahrez, there is an opening in the team and manager Craig Shakespeare has admitted to giving in to Gray's frustrations.

"We've had those conversations," Shakespeare said. "I understand the frustration of young players expecting and wanting more time. But on the other hand they have to be respectful of their team-mates and who is in front of them.

"Hopefully he can get more game time. He's a player of huge potential who is rated very highly here among the coaching staff and his own players.

"He's a young lad and I understand the frustrations but hopefully this season we will see him playing more."

Leicester will switch Marc Albrighton to the right flank in order to make space for the 21-year-old winger, and hope he will be providing the ammunition for Troy Deeney and Kelechi Iheanacho next season.

Deeney and Iheanacho are targets as the Foxes overhaul their attack. Vicente Iborra has arrived from Sevilla but club-record signing Islam Slimani is available for transfer and should help fund a number of their summer moves. They face likely disappointment in the race for Gylfi Sigurdsson with Swansea holding out for £50m.