‘Covid-19 paralysed everything’ – Leicester City loanee Slimani admits uncertain future

Leicester City loanee Islam Slimani believes the coronavirus pandemic is causing great uncertainty about the next transfer window.

Slimani is currently on loan at Monaco and with the expiry of the deal on June 30, the Ligue 1 club are yet to open talks with the forward despite holding the option to make his stay permanent.

The Algeria international was in superb form at Stade Louis II this season, contributing nine goals and seven assists in 18 league appearances as the Red and Whites finished ninth in the French top-flight.

Major European leagues have been on suspension since March while some have been concluded because of the Covid-19 outbreak, and Slimani believes the global health challenge will make the transfer window unpredictable.   

"I think I’ve done well with AS Monaco. We’ll see after what happens,” he told Le Score.

“The club has not communicated anything to me at the moment and I find it logical in the current context. No one can make immediate decisions. Either way, my contract still runs until June 30.

“The Covid-19 health crisis paralysed everything. Currently, all clubs have big cash flow problems. There is great uncertainty about the transfer window. It is impossible to predict what will happen.”

The 31-year-old has left the door open for a return to Sporting CP, the club he left in 2016 to team up with Leicester City for a then club-record fee.

He joined the Portuguese club from Algerian outfit Belouizdad in 2013, and he went on to score 48 goals in 82 league matches over three years.

“Why not? Sporting is a club that has a big place in my heart, like CR Belouizdad and the clubs in where I started, Ain Benian and Cheraga,” Slimani said when asked about a return to Portugal.

“To be honest, ever since I left Sporting, I’ve always had it in my head that I would return one day to the club which left its mark on me. When exactly? I do not know.”

Slimani has struggled to find regular game time at Leicester City, making 46 appearances and scoring 13 goals for the Foxes across all competitions since his arrival four years ago.

Having spent the last two-and-a-half years on loan away from the King Power Stadium, the Algerian forward is unsure about a return to Leicester with his contract set to expire in 2021.

“Sincerely, I do not know. You have to wait until summer to find out,” he said of a return to Brendan Rodgers’ team.