The Premier League may be taking a sabbatical but Leicester City took another step towards joining the European elite after they were invited to join the International Champions Cup before the start of next season.
Whether or not they go on to win the title, the Foxes will be dining at the top table this summer with matches against Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain to look forward to as they take part in the global pre-season jamboree.
Their inclusion is doubly significant because it comes after one of the competition's masterminds, US businessman Charlie Stillitano, questioned the team's value to football and suggested they did not deserve a place in next season's Champions League.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
"Leicester's involvement comes as a massive slap in the face for Stillitano," says The Sun, which says he has "laid out the red carpet and invited Claudio Ranieri's Foxes to join a star-studded cast of European superpowers".
Leicester will play Celtic at Parkhead, PSG in Los Angeles and Barcelona in Stockholm as part of the North American edition of the competition.
Five other Premier League teams will take part in the event, which has been split into three regional editions.
Liverpool and Chelsea will join Leicester in the North American competition; Tottenham Hotspur will take part in the Australian version, and the two Manchester clubs head to China.
"The contrast between Leicester's preparations for next season and those for the present campaign could hardly be greater as their fixtures last summer were five friendlies against Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Burton Albion, Rotherham United and Birmingham City," notes The Times.
Leicester chief executive Susan Whelan said: "An invitation to participate in the International Champions Cup highlights the significant impression the club is making on an international audience. We are delighted to be involved in this year's competition."
Even Stillitano appears to have been won over. "This is the best roster of teams in ICC history and having them start their 2016-2017 campaign playing against each other will be a treat for both fans and the players," he said.
