Last Updated: 30/01/20 2:55pm
Leicester are working hard on transfers, says Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers remains hopeful of adding to his squad before the January transfer window closes on Friday.
Leicester have shown interest in Southampton centre-back Jannik Vestergaard, with Rodgers keen to bolster his defensive options ahead of the final third of the season.
Asked how his search for a centre-back is going, Rodgers said: “It’s okay. We’ve obviously been looking to bring in a few players but there are still negotiations going on.
Leicester have held talks with Southampton over Jannik Vestergaard
“There is nothing definite at this moment, but there is work going on behind thescenes. The guys are working very hard and they may well be able to do something.
“I trust the players that we have currently, and if we can add one or two – just to give us that cover – then that will be great and then we’ll go into the summer and see where we go then.”
Asked what percentage chance there is of Leicester bringing in a centre-back, Rodgers replied: “You’ll know tomorrow.”
Rodgers said defender Filip Benkovic will only leave on loan if a replacement comes in
Third-placed Leicester host fourth-placed Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime, with eight points separating the two teams as the race for Champions League qualification intensifies.
Leicester have lost two of their last three Premier League matches and missed out on a place in next month’s Carabao Cup final after a midweek 2-1 loss to Midlands rivals Aston Villa.
Rodgers expects a difficult encounter against Chelsea and praised Blues’ boss Frank Lampard for delivering results while giv ing opportunities to the club’s young players.
“It’s a game that whether we won or lost was going to be an exciting game for us whatever the result was against Aston Villa,” Rodgers said.
Aston Villa’s Trezeguet struck late on to dump Leicester out of the Carabao Cup
“And Frank has done a fantastic job there. He took over a really good squad in the Champions League that had won the Europa League.
“However, they lost their best player so he was going to have to come in and galvanise them. Everyone talks about the ban on buying players and that maybe was forced to play young players but that wasn’t the case at all.
“I think he’s shown great courage as a manager and great bravery because he could have played Giroud up front or Batshuayi, but he played Tammy Abraham as a young player.
Rodgers praised Frank Lampard for putting his faith in young players
“He could have played Pedro, an experienced international player, but he’s played Mason Mount. So he’s really given the belief to the young players.
“They’ve done very, very well. He and his staff have done a fantastic job, and for us, at the weekend, it will be a very tough game.”
Tammy Abraham has scored 13 Premier League goals so far this term
Former Chelsea youth coach Rodgers has not beaten Chelsea in 13 attempts as a manager in his own right.
“Every record and every stat is there to be broken,” Rodgers said when the unfortunate statistic was put to him.
“We’ll look to that at the weekend. We know we have got a really tough game.
“They are an outstanding side with good players, but for me, it has never really been a personal thing. It’s about trying to get the result and we’ll look to try and do that at the weekend.”
