How Leicester City are still chasing a specialist No 9 to kickstart promotion bid… after failing to land Danny Ings and Jamie Vardy return off the cards

Leicester City are clear favourites to gain promotion from League One but are still to sign a striker with barely three weeks to go until they kick-off the season against Notts County.

Manager Russell Martin may have overseen a 3-3 draw against La Liga side Malaga in Marbella on Saturday but that didn’t mask what he thought the former Premier League champions were missing.

‘The topline, both wide positions and a No 9, I think it’s really clear,’ said the Foxes’ boss when asked about priorities.

They have tried and failed to agree terms with former West Ham striker Danny Ings and, despite his appearance at first team testing, Jamie Vardy is not planning a return. He still has aspirations to finish at the top.

The scramble is on to find a proverbial horse for the course. Yet League One had an extremely rich seam of forwards to mine from last season and competition is fierce.

Leyton Orient’s Dom Ballard is one forward with League One pedigree on Leicester’s radar

Leicester’s initial focus fell on Plymouth’s Lorent Tolaj – with 17 League One goals last season – but he wanted a Championship club. Preston North End tried but big-spending Bristol City succeeded.

The Ashton Gate side have also been courting Leyton Orient finisher Dom Ballard for two months, another on Leicester’s radar, but a fee has still to be agreed. Exeter’s Jayden Wareham, scorer of 19 league goals last season, is viewed as an alternative.

With time of the essence Martin knows Leicester need to be decisive and soon.

Aribim Pepple, the other half of Plymouth’s prolific strike partnership last season, is another who has piqued the interest of analysts, with justification.

Pepple, who just missed out on making Canada’s World Cup squad, had the second highest goals per minute ratio last season. One goal every 135 minutes; 16 goals in 35 league games. Wolves are among those looking to pounce there.

As concerns rise among supporters that the club is once again leaving it too late to do the crucial part of their summer trading, Martin countered: ‘I’m hopeful we can get what we want before the season begins. We have a clear idea on the list we have and it’s important to find the right character.’

Being runaway favourites to win League One will mean little to many of those supporters. Last summer they were eyeing a return to the Premier League. They ended with relegation to the third tier – though a six-point deduction was crucial given they finished five points off safety.

It’s been a tumultuous 10-year ride since that Premier League title. Pivotal now is finding that Fox in the box to ensure they find that path back to the top.