Report: ‘Outstanding’ £18m player warns Rodgers he could quit Leicester, has exit path in mind

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Dennis Praet has warned Brendan Rodgers that he will ask to leave Leicester City if he is not playing regularly after a season spent on the bench, according to The Sun.

The Belgian playmaker only featured 15 times in the Premier League last term, with a third coming as a substitute. Rodgers also started Praet once and overlooked him seven times after the midfielder returned from a hamstring injury in April.

Praet will not stand for another season at Leicester if Rodgers is unwilling to offer him a more integral role. But the arrival of Boubakary Soumare further dented his hopes of displacing Wilfred Ndidi and compatriot Youri Tielemans for minutes.

Praet will look to return to Italy if his future is not at the King Power Stadium. Leicester paid Sampdoria £18m to beat interest from Arsenal for the 27-year-old in 2019. Ex-boss Eusebio Di Francesco also rated him as ‘one of the best’ in Italy at the time, via The Sun.

But Praet has been unable to replicate his successes in England with three goals and five assists in 60 appearances. Two of those goals and three of his assists have come in the Premier League, but the last of each were back in September on matchdays one and two.

Rodgers would now be open to letting Praet leave Leicester if he believes his future is better served elsewhere. The Foxes boss will listen to offers for the £86,000-per-week maestro, who has three years remaining on his contract.

Summer separation best for Praet, Rodgers and Leicester

With Praet considering a future away from Leicester and Rodgers open to offers, a summer separation seems the best fit. That is providing the Foxes receive a suitable offer for a player they are under no immediate pressure to sell.

Rodgers is unlikely to give Praet the minutes he believes he deserves at the King Power Stadium. The Belgian has not done enough to move ahead of Tielemans or Ndidi in a deep-lying role, James Maddison in an attacking presence and now has Soumare for competition.

Rodgers has worked with Praet long enough to know what he is capable of producing on his day. Which can be worthy of praise, with the Foxes boss stating, via Leicestershire Live last year: ‘He always gives something to the team’ and praising the ‘outstanding’ talent.