Arsenal and Chelsea on red alert as Brendan Rodgers makes admission over Leicester pair

Mikel Arteta on Arsenal's transfer plans

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Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed that he has had to drop several of his players on Saturday due to them not being ‘in the right frame of mind’. Youri Tielemans and Wesley Fofana were both named on the bench against Southampton.

Tielemans has been linked with a move away from the King Power Stadium since the transfer window, with his contract expiring in 2023. The midfielder has reportedly shown no signs of extending his stay with the Foxes, meaning that this summer is potentially the last chance for the club to cash in on his services.

Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United have all been linked with signing Tielemans this summer, and the prospect of a move seems to have taken his eye off the ball at Leicester. The same can be said for Fofana, who is Chelsea’s top target and has asked to join the club, who was also dropped.

Asked about the changes to his starting eleven by Sky Sports, Rodgers explained: “One, a change in system and two, I mentioned in the week, we’re coming into a Premier League game and maybe we’ve got players who are maybe not quite in the right frame of mind.

“You can’t carry them, or certainly we can’t. So yeah, that’s the reason for the changes.” It remains to be seen whether a new bid is tabled for either Tielemans or Fofana, with the latter looking to speed up any negotiations by reportedly already agreeing personal terms with Chelsea.

Leicester are thought to be demanding £80million for the services of Fofana, with the French central defender impressing over the past few campaigns in the Premier League – despite a leg break ruling him out for most of last season. The fee would see the 21-year-old become the joint-most expensive defender in the Premier League with Leicester’s sale of Harry Maguire to United previously.

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Given that Tielemans will be a free agent next summer, the former Anderlecht star is thought to be available for a cut-price fee, in contrast. The Foxes are reportedly content with a fee in the region of £25million for their playmaker, a significant reduction on the figure that would have been demanded previously.

Arsenal have been long-term admirers of the 25-year-old, though they have already signed Fabio Vieira from FC Porto to bolster their ranks in the centre of the park this summer. The Gunners have also acquired the services of Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City who, although a left-back for the past few seasons, prefers to play in midfield.

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