Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers is braced for more approaches from rival clubs regarding star midfielder James Maddison amid interest from Arsenal and Tottenham.
The Gunners hold a long-term interest in Maddison and were keen to sign the 25-year-old last summer, but opted to sign now-club captain Martin Odegaard instead. Spurs had registered a strong interest in Maddison throughout the summer transfer window but were put off by the Foxes' £70million valuation.
The signing of Fabio Vieira for £35million from Porto in the summer may have signalled the end of Arsenal's interest in the Leicester star, but his versatility could see him be utilised in a similar role to that of Granit Xhaka which has seen the Swiss midfielder become a newfound goal threat in Mikel Arteta's team. Maddison registered 30 goal contributions in 52 appearances last term and has started the new campaign strongly, once again sparking speculation over his future at the King Power Stadium with his current deal set to expire in 2024.
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Spurs star Harry Kane was the only English player to have more goal contributions than the Foxes’ playmaker last season and Rodgers has accepted the fact that clubs will reignite their interest in his star asset once the January transfer window opens. football.london understood that Antonio Conte was in the market for a No. 10 before the transfer window slammed shut, with Christian Eriksen and Jesse Lingard among those of interest, but were unwilling to match Leicester's asking price for the English playmaker.
Speaking to the media ahead of Leicester's match against Bournemouth this weekend, Rodgers said: “I would think (there would be interest). My job is to coach him every day and make him the best he can be.
"It's only natural you want your absolute best players to be here, and we keep saying that, but we keep losing them. He's never a player you would want to lose.
“The beauty of James [Maddison], and it's the same with this England scenario, is that it hasn't affected him. That's where you see the level of maturity. What we've seen in the past is, sadly, players are linked with all sorts of clubs because an agent has to create a market, and then when it doesn't come off, you see the player disappointed.
“It's never been like that and James has been linked with loads of clubs. But he's a realist. He also knows he's in a good place to develop and learn, and he knows he can focus on day-to-day life and improve. What will be in the future will be, but it will only be on the back of playing well.”
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