Harry Diamond
Brendan Rodgers says reported Chelsea target Ben Chilwell is ‘not for sale’ and has ruled out the prospect of the full-back leaving Leicester this summer.
Chilwell has starred during Leicester‘s run into the top four this season and has established himself as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League, with Chelsea and Man City reportedly monitoring the England international as they bid to solve a problem position at Stamford Bridge.
The 23-year-old will miss the Foxes’ final two games of the season with an ankle problem but Rodgers is confident the star has not played his last game for the club, admitting he is ‘relaxed’ about the situation ahead of the transfer window’s opening on July 27 and says he has ‘no intention’ of allowing the player to leave.
“I’m not sure [if he’s played his last game for the club],” said Rodgers at his pre-match press conference. “He’s a Leicester City player, and I’m relaxed about it. I’m not worried at all.
“There’s no intention to sell Ben Chilwell, and there’s no need for us to sell Ben Chilwell. The message is he’s not for sale, it’s as simple as that.”
Leicester have stuttered since the Premier League‘s restart but secured a hugely important 2-0 victory over Sheffield United in midweek, a win that maintained their place in the top four and confirmed that European football will be played at the King Power Stadium next season.
Rodgers expressed his delight at securing continental qualification and is keen to ensure his side’s standards do not slip, Leicester embroiled in a tight top four race with Chelsea and Manchester United and just two wins away from a place in the Champions League.
“Our target was always to bring European football here. To do it with two games to go is superb,” Rodgers said. “However, we have an opportunity to do even more and we’re going to give everything to try and do that.
“We have an opportunity to achieve even more. We’re going to give absolutely everything going into these last two games, we have as much chance as anyone.
“It’s about the standard, we’ve set goals that we want to achieve. I said after the game against Bournemouth that we can’t even talk about Champions League with that mentality. But after that game last night, it brought us back to the level.”
Rodgers is hopeful to adding to his squad this summer despite an anticipated ‘difficult market’ due to the coronavirus pandemic, though says there is plenty of scope for improvement amid his current options as the Foxes bid to compete with the division’s best.
“We’re not a club that’s budgeted to get into the Champions League,” said Rodgers. “We want to find a way to get over the financial difficulties that there are to get in there.
“We understand the need to improve. There’s a lot of development left in the players we have here. We’ve been looking for a number of months to bring in the right quality during what will be a difficult market.”
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