Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers has ruled Wesley Fofana out of contention for Saturday's Premier League fixture with Chelsea.
For a number of weeks, the Blues have been chasing the defender as they bid to strengthen their backline with a player who can play on the right-hand side of the defence.
However, the Foxes have taken the decision to reject a number of bids, the latest allegedly somewhere in the region of £70m.
Although the 21-year-old featured during Leicester's opening two Premier League fixtures of the season, he was left out of the squad for the game with Southampton last weekend.
At the time, Rodgers acknowledged that the club's most prized asset was 'not in the right frame of mind' to participate in a top-flight fixture.
© Reuters
As expected, the Northern Irishman has now confirmed that Fofana will play no part of the game against a club that he allegedly wants to join within the next week.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Rodgers said: "He won't be available for the weekend. He has trained with our Under-21 squad.
When quizzed on whether he expects Chelsea to make another approach for Fofana, Rodgers added: "I'm not sure. It's not my concentration.
"I can't lose energy thinking so much about it. It'll be between the clubs. We have to continue to work with what we have."
© Reuters
If Chelsea do not improve their proposal over the coming days, Leicester may be faced with a situation where they have to reintegrate an unsettled player back into the first-team squad.
However, Rodgers feels that there may be a way back for Fofana, saying: "For me, it's always about the commitment and when the players are ready to commit to the ethos of the team.
"If they're not in the right frame of mind, we have to move on. The window will shut and then things will become clearer."
Leicester head into Saturday's game sitting in 19th position in the Premier League standings with only winless West Ham United below them.
Darren Plant
