Brendan Rodgers has sent a warning to Arsenal and Liverpool, telling the Mercury that Leicester City are under no pressure to cash in on stars such as James Maddison and Youri Tielemans.
As history repeated itself at the King Power Stadium – Champions League football slipping through Leicester’s grasp for a second year in a row – the Foxes fanbase may have been fearing the worst.
Ben Chilwell, Harry Maguire, N’Golo Kante, Danny Drinkwater and Riyad Mahrez have all been sold to a direct Premier League rival in recent years. And, without the lure of elite-level European football on offer, questions were soon being asked about the futures of Tielemans, Maddison and co.
According to the Daily Mail, there was a quiet confidence behind the scenes at Arsenal that a potential £60 million deal for Maddison was on the cards.
Liverpool, meanwhile, placed FA Cup hero Tielemans at the top of their wish-list as Jurgen Klopp planned for life without Gini Wijnaldum.
But things are different at Leicester these days. The Foxes don’t want to sell and, more importantly, they don’t need to sell.
Will Liverpool fail to lure Tielemans from Leicester?
“In conversations with the club, (I was told) we don’t have to sell,” said Rodgers, who committed his own future to the King Power club earlier this summer when Tottenham were hunting for a manager.
“That’s something that has been made clear. The players want to stay. It’s a really exciting time at the club.
“There’s lots of gossip and speculation around but I’m loving working with the guys here. They love being here and we certainly have no need to sell. So I would suspect we’re looking to keep our best players.”
Reports linking Maddison with Arsenal have gone quiet since Emile Smith Rowe signed a new, long-term deal while inheriting that iconic number ten shirt.
Tielemans, meanwhile, always felt too expensive for a Liverpool side reluctant to splash the cash during the pandemic.
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