Brendan Rodgers admits he is planning a “healthy shake-up” at Leicester this summer amid growing belief Youri Tielemans will be sold.
Leicester’s brilliant Belgian midfielder Tielemans has a place in the club’s history forever after his spectacular FA Cup winner last term.
But the ace, signed for £40million from July 2019 from Monaco, has gone off the boil this season.
The 24-year-old will only have one year left on his contract at the King Power this summer after refusing to sign a new deal.
It has alerted Manchester United and Arsenal for the classy playmaker, who got six goals and four assists last term when he played every League game.
This season he has five goals but has made some costly mistakes too such as at home to Tottenham when his pass was cut out in stoppage time for the visitors’ winner.
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He was then also substituted and replaced by rookie Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall,23, after 63 minutes of Sunday's 4-1 thrashing at Nottingham Forest
Now boss Rodgers has said he is “not frightened” to sell stars to revamp the squad which could encourage bids from the likes of United for Tielemans, who has 47 caps.
Rodgers previously sold Harry Maguire and Ben Chilwell in 2019 and 2020 to Manchester United and Chelsea for £80million and £50m respectively.
Rodgers assessed: “The club will always look to keep their best players and if it’s not possible then of course you go into the market.
”Money will always talk.
“Leicester have always worked that side of the market very well.
“There will always be trading here.
“You will always get players in that will improve and develop and then they’ll want to move on, and when that happens the club will always maximise what they can get for them.
“With the market how it was over the last 12-24 months that was difficult but going forward that will always be the case and we can never be frightened to do that.
“If a player is at that point where he’s ready to move on, you get maximum value for it and you reintroduce that hunger and desire from another player to come in and prove a point, then hopefully you will benefit from that.
“You need that healthy shake-up but that won’t come until the summer.”
Leicester have satisfied Tielemans’ ambitions previously by coming fifth for successive seasons and getting into Europe.
But they are languishing in mid-table this season amid injuries and the only Cup competition they are left is the Europa Conference League.
The Foxes have been badly hampered by a spate of injuries to key players like Jonny Evans and Wesley Fofana.
But Rodgers admits Tielemans’ form and that of several team-mates has not been to its usual levels.
A parting this summer may increasingly be in the best interests of everybody to allow Leicester to reinvest in new players with Tielemans’ value depreciating as his contract runs down.
Asked about Tielemans’ form , Rodgers replied: “I think it is natural, Youri has played at such a high level in my time here.
“I don’t just think it is just him as across the team we haven’t hit the levels consistently.
“Of course if the team has not got that stability and confidence then you may not play quite to the same level.
“He hasn’t slackened in his professionalism or attitude.
“Performances maybe quite aren’t at the level he would expect but he will keep working and fighting and giving his all for the club.”
