Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has made a statement decision on star duo Wesley Fofana and Youri Tielemans as Chelsea and Arsenal keep up their respective transfer interest in the Foxes pair.
The east Midlands side face Southampton in their third fixture of this new season and as the transfer window comes to its pinnacle, no wonder interest has ramped up in a couple of Leicester stars. James Maddison and Jamie Vardy are set to stay put for the season but the futures of Fofana and Tielemans remain up in the air.
For Fofana, football.london understands that the 21-year-old is frustrated that the club have knocked back two bids that he believed were acceptable. The uncertainty has led the player's mindset to suffer and as a result, Rodgers explained his decision to drop him completely from the squad in his pre-match press conference.
As for his teammate Tielemans, there is still a belief despite the rumours cooling off a little that one of Arsenal and Manchester United would secure a cut-price deal for a player who has one year left on his current contract.
READ MORE: Youri Tielemans 'top of the list' for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta despite Edu's Lucas Paqueta plan
This is one of the final opportunities for Leicester to cash in on the Belgian and with Mikel Arteta already clear that his side are not done in the transfer market, joining the dots up leads people to believe that the Gunners will make a large assault ahead of the September 1 deadline.
Whilst Tielemans remained on the bench and Fofana was left out of the matchday squad altogether, Rodgers explained his decision briefly in his pre-match interview with Sky Sports.
"One, a change in system," he said via Football Daily. "And two, I mentioned it in the week about coming into a Premier League game with players that maybe aren't quite in the right frame of mind.
"You cannot carry them and certainly we can't, so yes that is the reason."
He further explained post-match: “I don't know. There’s a few offers for some players nowhere near the valuation the club would want to sell. None of them are for sale but I know how the game works. There’s a few weeks to go. I don't know what's going to happen."
It was a double decision that didn't go down well with former Foxes icon Gary Lineker who sent a simple manager to the manager in question. He simply tweeted: 'FFS!'
Chelsea and Arsenal fans- How would you assess your sides chances of completing deals for Fofana and Tielemans respectively before September 1 deadline and are there any alternatives you would consider if either or none were attainable? Leave your thoughts in the comments section!
READ NEXT:
Thomas Tuchel new Chelsea attack if £22m Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang transfer is confirmed
Arsenal already have their own Diogo Jota as Mikel Arteta makes special request for £34m signing
Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: All the latest updates and rumours from the Emirates
Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All the latest updates and rumours from Stamford Bridge
Chelsea transfer business under the microscope in 'good deal' or 'bad deal'
