Leicester City boss Claude Puel has suggested that midfielder Riyad Mahrez will not be allowed to leave the King Power Stadium before the end of the season.
Both Liverpool and Arsenal have been linked with a move for the Algerian international, who is looking for a new challenge having helped the Foxes to the Premier League title in 2016.
However, with Mahrez continuing to perform at a high level for the East Midlands outfit, Puel has indicated that he has decided to keep his star man until the summer.
The 56-year-old is quoted by Sky Sports News as saying: "It's not a question in our mind. All the noise is just speculation. Of course we are in the transfer window and it's normal for all the best players [to be linked with transfers], but I'm not afraid about this because there's a fantastic spirit and good attitude in this squad.
"I have confidence in Riyad. We spoke a lot with him, [about] different things, and often about football, because he likes football a lot. He is now with good maturity, good experience of life, and we can see this in this game.
"He has a fantastic influence on the team, a valuable player for the team. We can see he is enjoying his football and is happy with his team-mates and with us. It's important for us to keep our best players. The good ambition for him is to continue this hard work, to show his consistency game after game, until the end of the season."
Mahrez has contributed seven goals and seven assists in England's top flight during the current campaign.
Darren Plant
