Wesley Fofana has reportedly stepped up his efforts to leave Leicester City by requesting to be left out of the squad for Saturday's Premier League fixture with Southampton.
For a number of weeks, it has been claimed that Chelsea hold an interest in securing the signature of the France international, who would slot in on the right-hand side of their back three.
The Blues are allegedly contemplating whether to pay a world-record fee for a defender in order to finalise a transfer as soon as possible.
However, Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers stated on Thursday that he remained confident of retaining the services of his star defender.
The Northern Irishman told reporters at a press conference: "The idea is that he is very much a Leicester player. He's not for sale. Unless anything changes, I would expect him to be here. There's nothing new from when we last spoke. We've spoken numerous times they are private conversations. Our communication is normal.
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"There's no denying it. It's always a tricky period. Your season is starting, you're trying to get focused, and you spend your summer creating this powerful collective unit, and then there is lots of speculation.
"These are young guys and it's the first time they have experienced this for some of them. There can be disruption. The idea is to keep the group focused. The minute the window ends, it all ends."
However, according to The Athletic, Fofana has now taken steps to be removed from contention for Saturday's fixture with Southampton.
The report claims that the 21-year-old has requested permission to be left out of the squad for the meeting at the King Power Stadium.
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While it is yet to be confirmed whether Fofana will still be expected to feature against the Saints, the report suggests that he is unlikely to be present in Rodgers's group.
Fofana has started the opening two games of the new Premier League season, forming part of a defence which have conceded six goals against Brentford and Arsenal.
Despite Fofana's alleged desire to link up with Chelsea, the former Monaco man still has five years remaining on his contract at the East Midlands outfit.
Should Fofana be left out against Southampton, Caglar Soyuncu is expected to be recalled to play alongside Daniel Amartey and Jonny Evans.
Darren Plant
