JAMIE VARDY announced today he will be leaving Leicester at the end of the season as the club paid tribute to its “greatest-ever player.”

The 38-year-old former England striker, a member of the Foxes’ side which against all the odds lifted the Premier League title in 2016, will depart in the summer in the wake of a relegation from the top-flight he has described as “such a s**t show.”

Leicester said: “We can confirm legendary striker Jamie Vardy will leave Leicester City this summer after 13 seasons that have seen him become our greatest-ever player.”

Vardy, who also won the FA Cup with the club he joined as a 25-year-old from non-league Fleetwood for £1 million in May 2012, will go with almost 500 appearances and approaching 200 goals to his name, but has insisted he will play on.

Speaking in a video message to fans, Vardy said: “To the fans of Leicester, I’m gutted that this day is coming, but I knew it was going to come eventually.

“I’ve had 13 unbelievable years at this club with lots of success, some downs, but the majority all highs. But it’s finally time to call it a day, which I’m devastated about, but I think the timing is right.

“I just want to sincerely thank you all for taking me in as one of your own. Leicester will always, always have a massive place in my heart and I’ll make sure that I will be following for the years to come in what I hope will be even more success for the club.

“But as for now, this is my goodbye but you will see me again soon, I promise. Thank you.”

Vardy’s rise from the fifth tier of English football to its very pinnacle has been little short of remarkable.

Vardy, who will make his final appearance at Filbert Way against Ipswich on May 18 before taking his leave a week later at Bournemouth, played his part in Leicester’s “Great Escape” at the end of the 2014-15 season.

His goals — he scored in a record 11 consecutive Premier League fixtures — were a major factor in the club’s 5000/1 title charge, which exposed him to Champions League football, and he also picked up an FA Cup winners’ medal in 2021.

The latter was a success he dedicated to the club’s former chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, one of five people killed in a helicopter crash close to the stadium in October 2018.

Those memories will remain with him forever, but his exit will be tinged with sadness.

Vardy added: “Nine years ago, we did the impossible, we won the Premier League. We then went on to win the FA Cup — that was for you, Vichai. We reached the Champions League quarter-finals. Before that, we pulled off the great escape.

“Those good memories will last a lifetime. My one regret — and I’m devastated about this — is that I’m not saying farewell to you on the back of a much better season. This isn’t the way I wanted my career here to finish.

“Finally, this isn’t retirement. I want to keep playing and doing what I enjoy most, scoring goals. Hopefully there’s one or two more for Leicester between now and the end of the season and many more in the future.

“I might be 38, but I’ve still got the desire and ambition to achieve so much more.”

Sources close to the player have indicated he is “exploring all options,” including a return to the Premier League, as he plots the way forward.