Leicester City have announced Jamie Vardy has signed a new contract with the club, running until 2019.
The club officially announced the new deal with the Premier League’s top scorer just hours after a 3-1 victory away to Manchester City saw Claudio Ranieri’s side take a five point lead at the top of the table.
Vardy has scored 18 league goals this season, including a record-breaking run of scoring in 11 consecutive Premier League matches.
His blistering strike rate soon sparked speculation that his future may lay away from the King Power Stadium, but he has said this evening he is "delighted to be fighting to achieve something special with this club."
“I’ve never known a spirit like it - from the owners, to the manager and his staff, the players and the fans. I want to be part of it for a long time,” Vardy added.
Vardy’s rise to the pinnacle of English football has been rapid, having been playing with non-league Fleetwood town in 2012 before signing for the Foxes.
In late 2015 he won his first England cap, against Ireland in Dublin in June, off the back of his excellent club form towards the end of last season – when he helped Leicester avoid relegation.
Vardy’s previous contract had been due to expire in 2018.
Vardy remarked upon the club’s faith in him as being a pivotal factor in singing the new deal.
“Leicester City have shown nothing but total faith in me since the day I arrived here three and a half years ago and it’s impossible to measure how much that belief has helped me to improve,” he said.
“I’ll forever be grateful for the investment the Club has made in me and I’ll spend every day working to repay it,” he added.
Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri said Vardy "has had an unbelievable journey to get to this point in his career and continues to play every game as if it's his last. I love his spirit.
“I am very happy that he will stay with us for a long time.”
Leicester City lead the Premier League by five points, with 13 games remaining. Vardy has started each of the club’s 25 league games this season.
