Danny Ings will not be wearing Leicester City blue next season after all.
It was a move everyone anticipated would happen, as Russell Martin won another notable alumni of his ex-club in Southampton.
Unfortunately, while Alex McCarthy would join as a past relic of St. Mary's, alongside Conor Chaplin, it came to light that Leicester would no longer be pursuing a deal for the ageing striker.
This development could prove to be a blessing in disguise, despite the lack of centre-forwards currently on the Foxes' books, as Ings has seriously struggled for goals over recent years.
Indeed, his goalscoring form last season saw him bag just two Championship strikes on the roster of Sheffield United, with both Patson Daka and Jordan Ayew amazingly helping themselves to more goals for Leicester as two unpopular parts of the relegation story.
It will still be a blow that the Midlands giants have missed out on a transfer target, with the League One campaign fast approaching, as another prospective signing could soon pass them by, to further pile on the pain.
Leicester set to miss out on another target
While striker reinforcements will be viewed as one major priority, another will be adding in fresh centre-backs to the camp.
Indeed, it looks likely that Harry Souttar will be departing the King Power this off-season, after he impressed on the world's grandest stage - the 2026 World Cup - with his adopted nation of Australia.
With Jannick Vestergaard also no longer on the Foxes' roster after relegation, defensive signings moving forward will be seen as a space on the pitch that could do with additional numbers, but it looks unlikely that they will win one of their targets.
Coincidentally, one of their main targets in this problem area was Harry Souttar's brother, John Souttar, with the Foxes potentially keeping it in the family to try and replace their towering colossus.
But, a new development from Scottish outlet Daily Record Sport has suggested that the Rangers defender is reluctant to move to League One, as he has also interest in his services from Championship outfits, such as Sheffield United, Watford and Cardiff City.
While Leicester is a former Premier League champion, they will clearly struggle to tempt Souttar to the King Power, while they remain submerged in the murky waters of League One.
The Foxes must press on with more signings, despite Souttar falling into the Ings pile of failed summer purchases...
The Foxes must make more signings despite these rejections
Martin must hope he has the persuasion powers to tempt other notable signings to the King Power this summer, with Dom Ballard still in their sights, potentially, as a statement striker buy.
He does have Championship suitors, too, but with the added cash injection of Abdul Fatawu leaving for £20m to Ipswich Town, could Martin and Co. be tempted to put their money where their mouth is to land the current golden boot holder in the intense division?
There are also other avenues to explore when it comes to centre-back additions, with the failed signature of Souttar not the end of the world.
At the end of the day, the summer transfer window is a marathon and not a sprint, but it will be a major concern for Foxes fans if a new striker and a new centre-back aren't in through the door before the league opener versus Notts County.
Losing out on both Ings and Souttar isn't the be all and end all though, with other targets hopefully pumped up to join the third tier giants down the line, as they try to win promotion in style.
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