Brendan Rodgers sends James Maddison warning to Newcastle

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers is not expecting the club to sell James Maddison in the January transfer window and is ‘confident’ the star midfielder will stay a Foxes player.

Maddison has been central to Leicester’s resurgence following a surprisingly poor start to the season that left the club bottom of the Premier League by early October.

Leicester took 16 points from a possible 24 in the eight games prior to the World Cup and Maddison was called into England’s squad for the tournament as a result.

His form hasn’t gone unnoticed by other clubs and 90min reported earlier this month that the 26-year-old is Newcastle’s top target in next month’s transfer window. The Magpies were uncertain even then whether a deal in January would be doable, with summer more realistic.

Now, Rodgers has further quashed the possibility of Maddison moving in the coming weeks.

“I’ve been given no indication that we have to do anything with James in January. He is someone I want to keep here,” the Leicester boss said.

“When you have good players, it’s a good sign, they will always be coveted by other teams. That is okay, I’m confident those players will be here. My focus is on improving the squad.

“Newcastle have signed players who have improved the dynamic of the team. They’re trying to build something there. They will improve and get better. I’m sure they will strengthen their squad and they will have the motivation to stay in the top four.”