Leicester City endured a rather flaky end to the Premier League season.

The Foxes recorded just one win in their final five matches of the season, beating Sheffield United, but losing to Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and AFC Bournemouth, while also drawing with Arsenal.

Those results, coupled with United’s upturn in form, meant that they finished the season fifth in the Premier League table, missing out on Champions League qualification.

With the Europa League beckoning, one has to imagine that their transfer plans have taken something of a hit.

After all, it looked as though they were heading straight to Europe’s top table for the majority of the campaign.

But now they face a battle to keep their biggest stars.

There have been a number of reports linking Chelsea with left-back Ben Chilwell but it appears that the Foxes are ready to play hard ball over the England international.

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Chilwell made 33 appearances this season in all competitions, scoring three goals and registering three assists.

He has also become a stalwart in Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad, winning 11 caps, and he will not come cheap in the coming transfer window.

The Daily Mirror reports that Brendan Rodgers’ side will demand more than the £80 million fee they received from Manchester United for Harry Maguire. That was a world-record for a defender.

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Chilwell is said to be hopeful of moving to Stamford Bridge, but it remains to be seen if the Blues have the resources to land his signature.

Frank Lampard’s side have been aggressive in the transfer window, signing Timo Werner from RB Leipzig and Hakim Ziyech from Ajax.

GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…

This is smart from Leicester.

They are a financially stable club and they simply don’t need to cash in on their top stars.

They have, of course, sold a number of major players since their Premier League title triumph, including N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez, and Danny Drinkwater, along with Maguire.

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The four players fetched £205m in total, proving that the Foxes are excellent operators in the market.

It doesn’t seem like changing and the ball is now firmly in Chelsea’s court.

If they can’t pay up, Leicester shouldn’t be selling.