Leicester block player’s exit, he’s been linked with Premier League move
Leicester City are fighting to keep the key elements of their squad intact amid a difficult campaign in the Championship.
The Foxes were only relegated from the Premier League last season, but already find themselves in danger of potentially slipping into the third tier.
Leicester were hit with a six-point deduction by the EFL earlier this week, and their defeat to Birmingham City on Saturday has left them outside the relegation zone on goal difference alone.
They are now on a run of five games without a win in the Championship, and are beginning to face interest in their key players from elsewhere.
Leicester prevent Jordan James exit in January
Leicester has struggled for consistency all season, but there have been certain members of their squad who have largely escaped the criticism from the fans in recent months.
One of those is Jordan James, who is currently at the King Power Stadium on a season-long loan deal from French side Rennes.
Leicester have the option to buy the midfielder at the end of the season, and they opted to block an exit for him in the January window amid interest from several clubs, according to Alan Nixon via his Patreon account.
The 21-year-old joined the Foxes amid interest from the Premier League last summer, and had hoped to be part of a bid for an immediate promotion back to the top flight.
However, Leicester are still hopeful of being able to convince him to join them permanently in the summer, and expect him to play a major part during the run-in to the end of the season.
Wayne Rooney enters the frame for Leicester appointment
Wayne Rooney has emerged as a contender for the Leicester job in recent days, as the board work towards securing a permanent successor to Marti Cifuentes.
The former Derby County boss is a huge outsider for the position at the moment, with the likes of Russell Martin and Gary Rowett having already emerged as strong favourites.
Andy King is currently in interim charge of the team while the wait for a permanent appointment goes on, but given the East Midlands outfit’s relegation concerns, they surely won’t want to wait too long before getting their new man in.
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha and the rest of the club hierarchy have been working hard to assess their potential options, and Rooney has emerged as somebody who could find himself in the frame.