Harry Winks states Leicester aims after sealing £10m move; Porro chats Tottenham future amid Barcelona links

England midfielder Harry Winks has completed a £10m move to Leicester City – bringing an end to his 21-year association with his boyhood club, Tottenham.

The 27-year-old star has lost his way in recent times, spending the entire 2022/23 season on loan with Sampdoria. That move to Italy represented the first time Winks had turned out for any other club side but Spurs, the team he joined as a six-year-old.

Winks made his debut for Spurs way back in 2014 under Mauricio Pochettino, going to appear in 203 games for the Lilywhites over nine seasons.

But it was clear he did not have any sort of future in N7, with the club making it clear they were open to offers.

Now the 10-times capped England international has dropped down into the second tier with the Foxes. He has signed a three-year deal, keeping him at the King Power until 2026.

A natural replacement for Youri Tielemans, who leaves the club as a free agent this summer, Leicester have paid £10m for Winks’ signature. He is expected to be joined as new players by Zack Steffen and Conor Coady, two other stars dropping out of the Premier League.

However, with James Maddison moving the other way in a £40m deal, Leicester have now spent a portion of that windfall on Winks.

Maddison and Tielemans, though, won’t be the last high-profile departures from Leicester this summer. Indeed, Saturday’s Transfer Gossip claims a £45m deal is also closing in for Harvey Barnes.

Winks inherits Tielemans’ No 8 shirt at the King Power.

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Winks talks Leicester move

In the meantime, Winks has explained the reasons behind his move to the east Midlands.

“I’m delighted,” he told LCFC TV. “I’m really excited for the challenge ahead. It’s an amazing club with great history and the facilities are incredible. I’m just so happy to be here and ready to get going.

“I’m looking forward to getting started, to have a full pre-season with the team and come here early to get ready for the games coming up. It’s going to be an important few weeks to get everyone ready and to push myself getting fit.

“I’m also looking forward to a new challenge and to challenge myself. Coming to a club like Leicester is the perfect chance to do that.”

Winks is Tottenham’s first major departure of the summer, but he’s not expected to be the last.

Indeed, Tanguy Ndomble, Giovani Lo Celso and even regular star Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg have been linked with exits.

Pedro Porro reacts to Barcelona links

Another tipped for a surprise exit is January signing Pedro Porro. The Spanish star joined the club in January, arriving on loan with obligation to make permanent from Sporting Lisbon.

He took a while to find his feet at the club – but did find decent form in the closing weeks of the season.

Indeed, he finished the campaign with three goals and three assists from 17 appearances for Tottenham – decent numbers for a wing-back.

Despite that he’s been linked with a move to Barcelona in recent weeks. The LaLiga champions need a new right-back and reports claim Porro fits the bill.

However, the 23-year-old is adamant he does not want to desert his dream Spurs move so soon after signing.

“It was a giant step. In the end, I’ve been fighting for it all my life and it’s something very big,” he said.

“And I don’t want to wake up from this dream, it is undoubtedly one of the best leagues in the world, if not the best, and being there every day is a gift for me for all the work I have been doing since I was little in my land.”

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