Brendan Rodgers has repeated his message to Chelsea to forget about signing Wesley Fofana.
The rumours are refusing to go away with various reports suggesting talks are progressing with a view to an £80m-plus deal. But Foxes boss Rodgers has sideswiped any suggestion that the highly-rated 21-year-old will be going anywhere.
Rodgers thinks Fofana is absolutely the real deal and poured cold water over the speculation immediately after his side’s 1-0 friendly win over Sevilla last night. But that’s not putting off several outlets who still insist the French star will end up as part of Thomas Tuchel's reshaped defence at Stamford Bridge.
At an informal gathering of a small group of Leicester ’s closest journalists over breakfast, Rodgers repeated his £30m signing from St Etienne is going nowhere. Rodgers said: “No, he’s not for sale. When we looked at him he had played 17 games. Everyone had a look at him back then but he’s come here, really flourished and developed, not just as a player but as a young man.
"He really respects the club. I’ve got no doubt that in the future he’ll be on that highest stage but he’s very comfortable and he feels good here. He has a great relationship with his team-mates which is important and there’s no doubt he will grace that stage. But for now he’s here, he’s developing and like I said he’s not for sale."
Rodgers added: “He’s maybe got an opportunity to get himself in the France squad for the World Cup and for that it’s about playing, so I’m pretty calm on it. I’ve had long chats with him. He’s really happy here. He can’t stop the speculation but he’s very concentrated on his work here and very focused on his development.”
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Leicester hold all the aces with Fofana signing a new five-year deal back in March. Rodgers is a massive fan, and added: “There is development in him but you see a young player who loves defending. He is very powerful, you see him in the air he is very dominant, wins his headers. One of his biggest attributes as a defender is his anticipation, he reads the game so well and the top defenders do that. That’s what the top defenders do and he has that in his repertoire. You add to that he is super quick, covers the ground fast, defends forward… I could be his agent couldn’t I! He’s a top player.”
On tying the player down to a long-term deal, Rodgers said: “It’s natural, you’ve got a big talent and he was happy enough to sign that. There is going to be interest in him, that’s the point. I had a long chat with him the other day. When you are that talented there’s going to be lots of speculation around a player of that ability. But like you say, not for sale.”
