James Maddison will stay at Leicester City, asserts Brendan Rodgers
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Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has asserted that playmaker James Maddison won’t leave King Power Stadium in the January transfer window. The Englishman has a key role in the team and his invaluable contributions have attracted interest from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Leicester City are currently second in the league with 45 points in 21 games as they bid to play in Europe next term by finishing in the top four. The Foxes have gone deep in the Carabao Cup as well, as they take on Aston Villa in the first leg of the semi-final tomorrow. Rodgers has transformed Leicester into one of the most elite teams in England and players like Jamie Vardy, Maddison, Caglar Soyuncu deserve the praise. The former Celtic boss will keep a hold of his emerging stars in January and won’t allow any player to leave.
The Leicester City coach clarified that Maddison will stay with the Foxes at least till the summer. The statement from the ex-Liverpool coach will come as a huge blow for Manchester United who were desperate to sign Maddison in January. The England international has been in terrific form this term, scoring 9 goals and creating 3 more in 23 appearances. His playmaking qualities have made him one of the most wanted midfielders across Europe.
“James is a very talented player, a wonderful player, and he will be here in January and beyond. There's lots of speculation around lots of our players, which is great, because they're talents and it means they and the team are doing very well. There's no pressure to sell here and there's no need for us to sell. Nobody will leave here in January that's for sure - we want to add to the squad if we can,” said Rodgers to BBC.
The 23-year-old playmaker has three and a half years left on his current five year contract and is very happy to be in this Leicester side. Rodgers also hinted that talks over a new contract for Maddison have already begun and initial contact with player’s agents have been made. The ex-Norwich player earns £55,000 a week and is hoping to double his current salary after signing a new deal.
“He's a player we're very keen to remain here and help us on this journey over these next numbers of years. James and his representatives are speaking with the club, which is great. These things take time. In the meantime, his level hasn't dropped, he's keeping his focus on the game, he's playing his football to a really high level. He's been brilliant,” concluded Rodgers.
