Danny Drinkwater Future in Doubt After Chelsea Fail to Launch Return Offer for Midfielder

Danny Drinkwater may be forced to remain at Leicester City as Chelsea have not returned with a fresh bid for the midfielder, according to a report from the Telegraph.

Drinkwater, 27-years-old, played an important role alongside N'golo Kante in Leicester's monumental title-winning campaign two years ago. And while Kante has since departed to Stamford Bridge, Drinkwater is still contracted to Leicester, despite being interested in a move to the London club.

Chelsea initially launched a £15m bid for Drinkwater - a fee Leicester were not prepared to part with the Englishman for. In fact, Craig Shakespeare's side has valued Drinkwater at over £30 million and do not want Drinkwater to leave.

Leicester already lost a key player to the likes of Chelsea, having seen combative midfielder N'Golo Kante leave in the previous transfer window. And while Jamie Vardy remained at the King Power Stadium despite interest from Arsenal, Riyad Mahrez seems to be angling for a move to Italian side Roma.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are said to have targetted multiple other midfielders in the transfer window - chief among them being Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. While injuries have been a constant struggle for the Arsenal man, Oxlade-Chamberlain still possesses an abundance of pace as well as impressive close control. 

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The Blues are thus monitoring Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has just one year remaining on his current contract.

Alternative options for Antonio Conte's side include the likes of Everton's Ross Barkley and Barcelona's Sergi Roberto. The former also has only 12 months remaining on his current deal and has asked for a move away from Goodison Park.

Moreover, reports have suggested that Chelsea are willing to trigger Roberto's release clause with rivals Manchester United also in contention for the Spaniard's signature.