CLAUDIO RANIERI says Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez will stay with Leicester this month as the high-flying Foxes shoot for the stars.
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| Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri insists Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez will stay at the King Power |
Ranieri reckons a top-four Premier League finish for his in-form team with be "out of this galaxy" despite their stunning turnaround in 2015.
But the Italian is aiming high and he insists Mahrez and Vardy want to stay at the King Power Stadium to play their part in Leicester's surprise shot at the Champions League places.
The pair have scored a total of 28 goals this season with Leicester starting 2016 level with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table, and Ranieri insists the pair want to stay despite rumours of big-money bids.
"Nobody goes from Leicester," he said. "They have said we want to stay and fight until the end and build with me and the chairman and our fans a big Leicester.
"We are a solid team and we want to continue together with everybody."
Leicester will consider offering the pair new contracts but Mahrez has three-and-a-half years left on his deal while Vardy is contracted for two-and-a-half years.
Ranieri said: "The contract is not important now. They pay their agents to think about the contracts. If they think about too many things and not on the real job, they will not improve."
Ranieri's side begin 2016 with just goal difference keeping them off the top of the table. That has got fans dreaming of a title challenge, but Ranieri says even a top-four finish would be beyond a miracle for the side who looked doomed to relegation a year ago.
"What we did is a miracle," said Ranieri. "If we arrive in the top four it is not a miracle, it is something bigger - out of this galaxy.
"What we are doing is a miracle so far but you imagine, if we continue, it is something unbelievable. This is a crazy league this year.
"We made a fantastic half season, it is unbelievable what we are doing, but now we must continue this way. We must stay calm and continue to do our job.
"Of course we are very happy when a lot of people are saying Leicester can be top of the league at the end of the season. But last season a lot of people said Leicester were dead and relegated."
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