Brendan Rodgers poked fun at Newcastle United's valuation of James Maddison - but stopped short of issuing the same 'not for sale' warning given to Wesley Fofana's suitors. The Leicester City boss was quizzed over the futures of both the England international and the promising defender following the pre-season victory over Sevilla on Sunday.
Leicester are currently the only club in Europe's top five leagues yet to make signing this summer, with financial limitations preventing Rodgers from adding to his squad. The Foxes face a battle to hold on to their biggest stars, with Youri Tielemans tipped to depart having entered the final year of his contract at the King Power.
Maddison has recently been linked to both Arsenal and Tottenham, and Newcastle have seen an opening reported offer of £40 million turned down. Eddie Howe has been frustrated in his pursuit of attacking reinforcements so far, and the Magpies could be tempted to return with another bid for the playmaker who has two years left on his deal.
READ MORE: ‘You can see how happy he is’ - Brendan Rodgers dismisses Newcastle United’s James Maddison offer
Rodgers joked the bid would only 'cover three-quarters of his left leg', but the contrast in his response to questions over Fofana's future suggests a deal could yet be struck for the attacking midfielder. Leicester are also contending with interest in Fofana, with the France under-21 international said to be interesting Chelsea.
The centre-back was voted the club's young player of the season following an impressive debut campaign, but spent much of last season on the sidelines after suffering a fractured leg in a pre-season clash with Villarreal. Reports suggest Leicester could demand as much as £85m for Fofana after the 21-year-old agreed a long-term contract extension in March, committing his future to the club until 2027.
When asked about Fofana following the 1-0 win over Sevilla, Rodgers said: “Naturally, he’s a top talent. He’s not for sale. He still has lots of improvements to make. He’s very happy here, he really enjoys being here.
"Naturally he will attract the interest of other clubs. Our job, in not signing anyone so far, is to at least keep the players we have. I know that’s the intention of the club.”
Rodgers mocked Newcastle's bid for Maddison while refusing to giving his own valuation of the 25-year-old. However, the former Celtic and Liverpool boss only said the attacking midfielder is 'not a player we want to sell' rather than confirming he is 'not for sale'.
Rodgers said: “He’s still very much a player here. Naturally the players are sought after because they are talents. You see his performance, you see how happy he is and he’s not a player we want to sell.
"It’s not for me to put valuations on the players, it’s not my side, but that might just cover three-quarters of his left leg, that price. He’s a top player.”
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