Leicester City transfer news: Sporting Lisbon release statement insisting they expect Adrien Silva to stay

Sporting captain Silva said that he wishes to play in the 'spectacular' Premier League

Adrien Silva said he is excited about the prospect of joining Leicester City (Getty)

Sporting Lisbon expect midfielder Adrien Silva to end his career with the club despite the Portugal international being quoted as saying a move to Leicester City would be “something exceptional”.

The Premier League champions are reported to be interested in signing the 27-year-old while also courting team-mate Islam Slimani, the Algerian striker who scored 27 goals last term as Sporting finished as runners-up to Benfica in the Primeira Liga.

Sporting captain Silva revealed this week that he wishes to play in the “spectacular” Premier League, prompting his club to retort: “The player renewed his contract in February 2016 in a deal involving significant sums of money, making it absolutely clear that the extension to his contract would mean that [he] would stay at the club until the end of his career.

“Never during recent months has anything been said to the president or has any proposal been made for the transfer of Adrien Silva. The president has not met with the player’s father or representatives for that purpose. Sporting and its president will always defend the interests of the club and will also defend the club’s assets.”

When asked about Leicester’s interest this week, Silva enthused about the possibility of linking up with Claudio Ranieri’s side, who make their bow in the Champions League group stage against Club Brugge on 14 September. He said: “Yes, I confirm this proposal. Leicester is very interesting and corresponds to my career goals.

“After the past 15 years at Sporting, this opportunity is something exceptional for me and can allow me to express and impose myself in another championship, and also to evolve in the Premier League, which is a stunning league.

“I love Sporting as a family and I dedicated myself to the club since I was 12 years old. At 27 years old, and after so many years of loyalty, I think that no one will criticise me for wanting to embrace this challenge.”

The Euro 2016 winning midfielder is said to have a £38.5m release clause in his Sporting contract, which expires in 2020, but Leicester are highly likely to make efforts to negotiate that figure down into more reasonable territory.

Slimani, meanwhile, who plays alongside Riyad Mahrez for Algeria, appeared to bid an emotional goodbye to his current employers after scoring the opening goal of a 2-1 victory against Porto in the Dragões-Leões derby on Sunday evening.