Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has said his club have started talks with James Maddison over a new contract.
The 25-year-old playmaker has two years left on his current deal but attracted interest this summer from Newcastle, who failed to reward him in a £40million bid.
Maddison is one of the Foxes’ star players and the club are keen to save him from entering the final year of his contract next summer.
When asked if there had been any dialogue between the two parties, Rodgers replied, “I believe so, I believe they have spoken. Yes, Jon (Rudkin, director of football) spoke to them several times, yes.
“I’m pretty sure the club would want to do that (tie him). Both parties must be able to come to an agreement.
“With James two years to go, the club would naturally want to protect the asset. But it works both ways.
“Sometimes everything goes through the club. If a player, I’m not saying James, doesn’t want to sign him, then it can be a dead end.
“But absolutely, he’s an exceptional player and of course Leicester City would benefit from keeping him for longer.”
Maddison, who will be looking to earn a place in England’s World Cup squad, has started the season well for the Foxes and Rodgers says there has been no change in him following interest from Newcastle.
“He was brilliant. He is a high level player. Arsenal, in spells, where he had the ball, he looked the most dangerous player,” he said.
“He scored a very good goal. For me, James is still the same. He improves, develops and is happy.
“Of course he’s a top player at this level so people are going to be interested in him, but I haven’t seen any change in him.”
Rodgers also expects Wesley Fofana to still be at the club after the transfer window closes.
The defender has been the subject of two offers from Chelsea but both were rejected and nothing new happened in the last 10 days.
Rodgers has always insisted that Fofana is not for sale and does not expect to lose him in the next fortnight.
“I don’t think so far, the idea is that he is a Leicester City player,” he said.
“He’s not for sale, the club have made that clear, unless something changes about that I would expect him to be here.
“Currently, at the moment, there is nothing new and nothing has changed since the last time we spoke.”
Reports have it that the 21-year-old has asked Leicester to accept a lower fee while Rodgers has reportedly refused as the player handed in a transfer request.
Asked to clarify the speculation, the boss added: “Yes I can, he hasn’t. He’s a great boy. He is loved by his teammates.
“He’s a great personality. He’s still in development. He’s a long way from the finished article.
“We spoke several times about the whole situation and of course a private conversation. Our communication is normal and we are just continuing to prepare for the games.
“It’s a challenge for any player and for clubs at this time when the window is open, and there’s a lot of speculation and a lot of noise that goes with it, and especially for a young player – 21 – all the speculation that surrounded it.
“That’s why we’re here, to help and educate him to deal with all these rumours. The focus is on the team and their preparation for the weekend.
