The Leicester City star admits transfer offers have made him consider leaving the King Power

Ricardo Pereira considered leaving Leicester City last summer but stayed to help them fight their way back into the Premier League and where they “deserve” to be.

The Portugal international was a key player as City won the league title, taking a hybrid role in Enzo Maresca’s set-up and playing more minutes than he has managed in the last three seasons combined. But he admitted that he almost left.

Offers were on the table for Ricardo, but his desire to play his part in City’s return to the top flight, plus Maresca’s impact, convinced him to stay put. Now he is looking forward to the battle for survival.

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The right-back told Marca in Spain: “There is no single explanation (for City’s relegation). There were many things combined. We got off to a bad start in the league, the confidence went down, and it’s not easy to change that dynamic. We managed to come back, but suddenly the World Cup came mid-season and we went down again.

“We tried to change things. In your mind you’re thinking, “There’s a lot of games left, we’ve got a good team.” You think it’s impossible to happen, but it happened and it was very hard. It was a very big shock, especially after the recent successes I had achieved.

“I got some offers (last summer) and my idea at first was to leave, but the pre-season started and it got to me, bit by bit. I saw something different. I liked the team, the new manager.

“There was also a part of me that wanted to get Leicester back to the place they deserved. It took a weight off my shoulders. It was important to get to the Premier League.

“I am calmer than a year ago. Coming back (to the Premier League) will be difficult, but I’m excited. We have a team that, if we do things right, can have a quiet season.”

A £20m signing from Porto in 2018, Ricardo was City’s player of the season in his first campaign, flying down the right flank and combining attacking excellence with defensive security. He established himself as one of the best full-backs in the Premier League.

But an ACL injury the following year kept him out for some time, and since then he’s had constant new problems. That was until last season, when he started 37 of City’s 46 league games.

“It was important to play a whole season without injury,” he said. “I don’t know if my current version is better than the 2019 version because I play in different positions and it’s hard to compare, but I’m closer than ever to my best level.”

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