Chelsea's interest in £80m Chilwell does not trouble 'relaxed' Leicester boss Rodgers

BetOdds Transfers Chelsea Ben Chilwell Premier League Jamie Vardy Leicester City

The left-back is a primary target for Frank Lampard's side, who have already agreed deals to sign Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner

Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers is "pretty relaxed" over transfer rumours regarding Ben Chilwell and hailed Jamie Vardy's "phenomenal" story as he approaches a Premier League landmark.

Chilwell has been the subject of interest from Chelsea and Manchester City, with Frank Lampard's Blues keen to follow up the signings of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner with a move for the left-back, who could cost in excess of £80 million ($99m).

The Foxes are said to be confident of keeping Chilwell at the King Power Stadium, though, with Leicester on course to qualify for the Champions League, while he still has four years to run on his contract.

Finding a replacement that represents value for money could also prove difficult, as was the case when Leicester sold Harry Maguire to Manchester United last August.

Rodgers, whose side return to Premier League action following the coronavirus-enforced break at Watford on Saturday, is confident Chilwell remains focused on helping Leicester achieve their goals.

"I'm sure you can imagine the answer, there's no need to comment on it now," Rodgers said during a virtual news conference on a day when it was confirmed captain Wes Morgan, Christian Fuchs and Eldin Jakupovic had all signed one-year contract extensions.

"He's come back, Ben, he looks absolutely fantastic. He's been able to go away, reflect on his game, everything he's done, he's been exceptional.

"We're pretty relaxed on it, it's a sequence the club is used to now, over these last number of years, but when you have a talented group of players, they're always going to make the headlines.

"I'm pretty relaxed, he's a fantastic boy to work with, outstanding young player, very driven to help us achieve what we want to this year."

Rodgers was also asked about Vardy, who needs just one more goal to chalk up 100 in the Premier League.

The 33-year-old's rags-to-riches story has been well documented and Vardy did not make his Football League debut until the age of 25.

Having risen through the pyramid to join Leicester from Fleetwood Town in 2012, the striker has become a Premier League winner and earned 26 England caps since moving to the Foxes.

"His story is absolutely phenomenal. Into professional football at 25, I read somewhere his first competitive game at the top level was only a few years ago, at 27," Rodgers added.

"It's absolutely remarkable and it shows you the talent the guy has and the spirit and drive the guy has.

"No doubt he'll get to that, pretty much sure he'll go well beyond it.

"It's a phenomenal story Jamie's, but he'll go beyond it. He's super fit, super fast, I think he'll enjoy every minute, he'll get back to the level he was very quickly."

2020-06-18 23:00:05

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