Leicester’s ridiculous asking price for Chilwell means he’ll likely stay

Leicester City must really want to keep Ben Chilwell on Filbert Way, as no club will pay the ridiculous price placed upon the left-back.

Leicester City could have made an expensive but realistic deal to sell an overrated, underperforming player then reinvest. What a shame. It may have been the only chance to double Ben Chilwell’s actually value of around £30 million to £60m; a fee Chelsea were expected to pay if pressed.

The latest reports on the left-back’s apparent transfer to the Blues state that the Foxes demand a startlingly overpriced £80m plus for a sale of their ‘prized asset’. This claim is from a reliable source.

Regardless of Chilwell’s disappointing campaign, the King Power outfit obviously want to keep their star, which is surprising as it’s the optimum time to sell: a footballing superpower desires his signature and will, for some unknown reason, pay well over the estimate.

Yet the apparent greed of the club to request a record fee for a mediocre, barely international player is masking the entity’s wish to retain their man. Which is equally unexplainable.

Yes, Chilwell is an admired academy graduate and satisfactory as a defender, but his attacking is not up to the standard of Ricardo Pereira on the opposite flank. Nor is it anywhere near a pinnacle performer such as Liverpool’s Andy Robertson. Intensity is key, and the former has a deficiency there.

Despite being a “priority target” for Frank Lampard’s Pensioners, it is unlikely that Chelsea will pursue the full-back for much longer, following Leicester City’s dismissive manoeuvre.