‘I won’t be begging’ – Rodgers on Maddison’s future amidst Spurs rumours

Brendan Rodgers has revealed that Leicester are holding talks with rumoured Tottenham target James Maddison over his future but hinted that he will not beg the midfielder to stay at the club.

Over the last week, multiple publications (The Telegraph and 90 min) have claimed that Spurs could make a move for Maddison in the summer, with the Foxes said to be keen on tying down the attacking midfielder to ward off interest from the North London club.

However, those reports explained that Antonio Conte’s men could face competition from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Newcastle United for the attacking midfielder’s signature.

If there was any doubt regarding Tottenham’s interest in the 26-year-old, that was seemingly put to rest by Cristian Stellini recently, with Italian confirming ahead of the Lilywhites’ clash against Leicester that the coaching staff at Spurs are fans of the England international (Football.London).

Rodgers has now spoken about the Foxes’ efforts to tie down Maddison to a new deal and refused to rule out the possibility of the player leaving the King Power Stadium.

When asked about the former Norwich City star’s future, the Leicester boss told Sky Sports: “It’s a conversation we’ve been having with James’ representatives for a while so there’s no change in that, not that I’m aware of.

“For me, it’s about making sure that, despite whatever the situation is, that James is playing at the best level he can be. 

“Thankfully as a player, he’s got experience now, he’s very focused on purely doing his best for us and staying available and fit. He’s a top player in the league and he’s shown that in his time here, gradually from when he’s come into the position he’s in now, you can see that development take place. 

“I think that’s the type of club we are, we’ll develop players, we’ll improve players, we can give them great conditions to work in – but I won’t be begging for a player to stay.”

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Reading between the lines, it sounds like Maddison has already made up his mind to seek a new challenge at the end of the season. 

However, Tottenham will have to qualify for next season’s Champions League to have any chance of winning the race for the 26-year-old as he is not going to have any shortage of suitors in the summer.

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