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Brendan Rodgers anticipates Leicester City will rebuff any offers tabled for James Maddison in the January transfer window.
The England international has been a standout performer for the Foxes this term, and has been their brightest light amid a poor 2022-23 campaign to date.
Maddison was crucial to the pre-break revival enjoyed by Leicester, earning a recall to the Three Lions fold and a spot in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad too.
His rising stock, therefore, is likely to attract bids during the new year, but Rodgers expects the club to keep hold of their man and knock back any approaches.
“I’ve been given no indication that we have to do anything with James in January,” he stated. “He’s someone I want to keep here.
“When you have good players, it’s a good sign. They’ll always be coveted by other teams. That’s OK, I’m confident those players will be here. My focus is on improving the squad. That’s what I want to do.”
Maddison himself is only just returning to action with Leicester following a post-Qatar 2022 breather, after England were edged by ultimate finalists France in the last eight.
Speaking at the World Darts Championship as a guest of Sky Sports, the 26-year-old acknowledged Southgate’s men felt they could go the distance, while hailing the squad the latter has put together.
“The World Cup came to a disappointing end, in the end,” he added. “There was a real feel we were going to go all the way and win it, to be honest. It wasn’t to be – we lost to a very good France side.
“The group’s so good. I’ve had a few years out of the squad, so there’s a few faces I didn’t know. It’s quite a young group, so it was easy to transition back in.
“It’s such an easy group to go into and be yourself, express yourself. That’s why, even though I didn’t get any minutes, when we went out, I was devastated. You build up such a bond.”
