Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Leicester City have rejected another bid for defender Wesley Fofana.
For a number of weeks, Chelsea have been heavily linked with the Frenchman as they look to bring in a fresh face for the right-hand side of their back three.
However, Leicester, supported by Fofana possessing a contract until 2027, has consistently stated that the 21-year-old remains not for sale.
That said, Rodgers recently revealed that the player was 'not in the right frame of mind' to face Southampton last weekend, subsequently resulting in his withdrawal from the squad.
While Leicester's official line is that their most prized asset will still remain at the King Power Stadium, the situation will need to be resolved either way as soon as possible with the transfer window due to close on September 1.
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On Tuesday evening, it was claimed that Leicester had made the decision to reject a third bid of in the region of £70m, believed to be from Chelsea.
The report claims that some of the add-ons in that proposal are not necessarily easy to achieve, resulting in the offer being turned down by the powers-that-be at the East Midlands outfit.
Rodgers was quizzed on the matter after witnessing his Leicester side held to a goalless draw by Stockport County in the EFL Cup before eventually prevailing on penalties.
The Northern Irishman told reporters: "I believe so. The club told me earlier on. I don't know too much detail around it because I've been concentrating on the game. I believe it was rejected, yes. But nothing more."
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Chelsea are expected to return with another bid in due course, the situation further complicated by the two teams being scheduled to face each other in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Fofana will almost certainly be left out of Leicester's squad for a third successive game, while the Foxes are highly unlikely to allow the player to face them at the weekend even if they do accept an offer for his services.
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel is increasingly keen to sign another defender with the Blues having lost 3-0 at Leeds United on Sunday afternoon.
The West Londoners are allegedly also hoping to finalise the transfers of Everton winger Anthony Gordon and Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Darren Plant
