Jamie Vardy lined up for shock return to England as chairman declares interest on live broadcast

Jamie Vardy is in line for a sensational return to English football, with a club chairman declaring interest in him during a live radio broadcast.

Vardy departed Italian side Cremonese at the end of June after scoring seven goals in 29 games.

Despite it being a personally strong debut campaign abroad, it wasn't enough to prevent Cremonese from relegation to Serie B.

The 39-year-old decided to leave upon the expiry of his contract, although it was quite clear he wasn't considering retirement.

West Ham United have been linked with a transfer in recent days following their drop down to the Championship. Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo believes he still has plenty to offer, although he wouldn't be their main signing up front. AZ Alkmaar's Troy Parrott remains their marquee target, with Vardy expected to play a back-up role if he moves to the London Stadium.

Dutch outfit Feyenoord were interested earlier in the transfer window. However, a return to England is Vardy's preferred destination. One club is well aware of that fact and decided to call their shot for the entire nation to hear.

Club would be 'thrilled' to have Jamie Vardy and want to offer deal

Vardy's Cremonese exit naturally saw everyone assume a return to boyhood club Sheffield Wednesday was on the cards. The ex-England international was cut loose from their academy as a teenager, resulting in a non-league football venture with Stocksbridge Park Steels. The rest is history, as they say.

Wednesday have fallen on hard times in recent years. The Owls entered administration under former owner Dejphon Chansiri in October 2025 and later failed to meet payment obligations. It resulted in an overall 18-point deduction and they were relegated from the Championship with exactly zero points.

Now in League One, Wednesday are backed by a US consortium with big ideas for the future. One of those is bringing Vardy back to where it all started.

Chairman David Storch told talkSPORT: "At some point I'll be able to tell a story; this might not be the right time, but Jamie is somebody that we would like to have at our club."

When asked if they'd like that conversation with Vardy sooner rather than later, Storch replied: "Let's just say he'd be somebody we'd be thrilled to have. Unfortunately, we do have restrictions we're trying to figure out... how to get around the restrictions so we can put something in front of Jamie that makes sense for him."

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Vardy's thoughts on Sheffield Wednesday return

Vardy is perhaps the key stumbling block regarding an emotional reunion. When recently pushed by co-host Manish Bhasin on his 'Jamie Vardy's Having A Party' podcast, he admitted: "In short, no. It's one of those things. I've always said that, once I was let go, then that chapter was kind of shut.

"That's just me, that's how I am. It wasn't meant to be, so it's never meant to be."

Vardy is currently maintaining his fitness with Leicester City. He won the Premier League and FA Cup during a historic period for the Foxes, who are also in League One after back-to-back relegations.