Sources: Leicester City set sights on Conor Hourihane after Barnsley exit

Leicester City are lining up a move to add former Barnsley manager Conor Hourihane as Russell Martin's assistant, sources have told Football Insider.

Martin was appointed as the Foxes' new boss on Monday, and work is already underway to bring in support staff for the 40-year-old.

Hourihane has emerged as a clear target for Martin and Leicester, and is out of work, having mutually left his job at Barnsley at the end of the season.

The Irishman led the Tykes to a 15th-placed finish on a limited budget last term in his first full season as manager.

He is now being lined up to join the backroom team at the King Power Stadium, having been identified as a young coach with plenty of promise.

The East Midlands outfit will be desperate to secure an immediate return to the Championship in 2026-27, and Hourihane could become part of that effort.

Russell Martin eyeing Conor Hourihane reunion

Hourihane's step into full-time management at Barnsley came when he impressed enough in an interim stint at the end of the 2024-25 campaign to earn a two-year deal.

He had previously been the assistant boss at Oakwell, and he could now be about to move to Leicester to step back into that same role.

Hourihane previously played under Martin during a loan spell at Swansea City back in 2021, and could now work directly alongside him.

He has been out of work since his departure from Oakwell, but that could be about to change if the Foxes get their way.

Leicester handed Martin a three-year deal in charge of the team, and they are now committed to getting the people he wants in place alongside him.

Martin already facing triple departure at Leicester

Football Insider revealed on Monday that Martin has already been told that three members of the Leicester squad won't be at the club by the start of the season.

Abdul Fatawu, Ben Nelson and Jannik Vestergaard have all been earmarked to be sold in a bid to raise funds after back-to-back relegations.

Martin is facing a big overhaul of the squad that slipped into League One, and limited time in order to revamp it.

The Foxes have already lost the likes of Ricardo Pereira and Patson Daka on free transfers, while starlet Jeremy Monga is also expected to depart imminently.