Leicester striker Islam Slimani offered escape route by former club Sporting Lisbon
Slimani managed just seven Premier League goals for the then-reigning champions in his first season at the Foxes
ISLAM SLIMANI is being offered an escape from his Leicester nightmare - by former club Sporting Lisbon.
The Foxes paid the Portuguese outfit a club record £28million for the Algeria international two summers ago.
However striker Slimani managed just seven Premier League goals for the reigning champions in his first season at the King Power Stadium.
And he was shipped out on loan to Newcastle in January after scoring just once in 12 top-flight games last term.
Slimani, 30, made only four appearances for the Magpies - and even landed a three-game ban for his red card against West Brom in May.
The Algiers-born frontman is however still revered at Sporting.
He scored 57 goals in four seasons for the Primeira Liga outfit, and helped them win the 2015 Portuguese Cup.
Club president Jose de Sousa Cintra has declared his ambition to bring Slimani back to the Jose Alvalade Stadium, and officials have now put together a plan to re-sign the striker.
Sporting want the north African star to replace Dutch striker Bas Dost, who hit 34 goals last season - but then cancelled his contract following months of off-field problems.
The Lisbon club will ask Slimani to accept a pay cut to join them, admitting they cannot compete with his current salary.
But they hope he will be tempted by the chance to return to centre stage with them after becoming a bit-part player in England.
Sporting signed Slimani from home-country club CR Belouizdad in 2013. He went on to play 109 times for them.
He is under contract with Claude Puel's side until 2021.