Leicester City Boss Claude Puel Wants to Keep Striker Islam Slimani Amid Talk of Possible Exit

Leicester City manager Claude Puel has stated that he wants to keep Islam Slimani amid rumours of a possible departure for the Algerian.

Slimani signed for the Foxes for a club record £30m back in the summer of 2016, however, since arriving the Algerian has failed to make an impact. Both Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki have played the majority of the games up front for Leicester this season, with Slimani only featuring 16 times.

Despite the lack of game time, his manager still wants to keep the striker and that the Algerian could possibly play more matches in the future if he continues to play well, as reported by the Leicester Mercury.

“This period is always difficult with speculation about different players,” Puel said.

"I am happy with Slim. He played well in the second half against Huddersfield and he needed to build on this with another opportunity (at Fleetwood).

“I think in this transfer window we need to have a look at the balance of the squad. For example, we have a lot of strikers and offensive players. We need to have better balance to give them more game time.”

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Leicester face a tricky trip to Stamford Bridge next as they take on Premier League champions Chelsea, and with Jamie Vardy doubtful for the game, this could be a chance for Slimani to show his manager what he can do.