Rodgers to target England defender but Chelsea an obstacle to Leicester plans

Leicester City are reportedly set to target young Chelsea defender Levi Colwill in the summer after his superb displays on loan with Huddersfield Town.

Foxes chief Brendan Rodgers has guided the club to back-to back fifth-places finishes in the Premier League. But there will be no repeat in 2021-2022, with the East Midlanders currently 12th with 27 points from 23 games played. They are 19 points adrift of a top-four spot having challenged for a Champions League berth during the past couple of campaigns.

Conceding goals – especially from set pieces – has been an issue. The FA Cup holders have shipped 43 in the top flight to date.

And that is after picking the ball out of the net 50 times during the entire 2020-2021 season. Reports claimed that Leicester made enquiries about 19-year-old Colwill in the January window.

The Southampton-born starlet has come up through the Chelsea youth setup. However, yet to kick a ball for the senior side, he was loaned to the Terriers for the current season.

And it has been a successful switch for the England Under-19 ace, with 20 Championship starts for the Yorkshire outfit. He has helped Carlos Corberan’s side up to fourth in the second-tier standings.

They are only two points behind second-placed Bournemouth but have played four more games than the Cherries. Therefore a play-off berth is a more realistic target for the John Smith’s Stadium side.

Rodgers may have his eyes on the highly-rated stopper but Chelsea might not be willing to sanction his exit. The Blues handed him a four-year deal before loaning him to Huddersfield and recent reports claimed he is in their plans.

Thomas Tuchel will have defensive issues at the end of the season. Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar