Rodgers admits Leicester are OPEN to selling a key player this summer
Brendan Rodgers admits Leicester are OPEN to selling a key player this summer with James Maddison and Harvey Barnes among those linked to other clubs… as he insists the Foxes should never be ‘frightened’ of losing anyone
- James Maddison and Harvey Barnes are linked with moves away from Leicester
- Brendan Rodgers insisted the Foxes should never be ‘frightened’ to lose a player
- They signed Kirstiansen, Tete and Souttar in January to begin a squad rebuild
Leicester are open to selling a key player this summer with Brendan Rodgers admitting the club must not be ‘frightened’ of doing so.
James Maddison is admired by the Premier League’s traditional big six, with Sportsmail revealing this week that Manchester City were interested in the attacking midfielder, whose contract expires at the end of next season.
There has also been interest in Harvey Barnes, who has one more year than Maddison on his contract. Like Maddison, the winger was courted by Newcastle last summer though in both cases, Leicester’s asking price – around the £60million mark – was deemed too high.
The Foxes have been active in the January window, signing Victor Kristiansen, Tete and Harry Souttar, and pressed hard to buy Jack Harrison from Leeds.
This is the start of the squad rebuild Rodgers has long wanted to conduct and which will continue in the summer – yet that means there are likely to be important departures too.
Brendan Rodgers said Leicester are open to selling a key player in the summer transfer window
James Maddison (L) and Harvey Barnes (R) have been linked with moves away from the club
‘It’s something that in the main has always been done at Leicester,’ said Rodgers. ‘You can never be frightened of that. It’s all about that pipeline of players, bringing in the next one. It’s the model that’s here.
‘Early on in my career I had a player I was absolutely devastated to lose, because I thought it would make a big impact on the way my team played.
‘I never thought we could play how we wanted without his qualities, but we ended up getting someone in who was absolutely brilliant.
‘From that point I never really fell too much in love with a player. I love talent but players will come and go. And if they do it’s just a case of making sure you’ve got the next ones to come in. Footballers have short careers and they have to maximise that.
‘I am a custodian of the club, I have to look after the club and make sure we can try to get the next one in. That’s what we’ll do here.’
Harry Souttar was one of three signings brought in last month as part of a squad rebuild
Leicester’s owners this week relieved the club of its outstanding debt of nearly £200m to parent company King Power.
Rodgers added: ‘It is the strongest commitment there can be. When there are questions asked about the board and their commitment then that is an answer to any question ever put to them.’
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