Shakespeare doesn't want Leicester to become selling club

Despite putting up one of the weakest title defences in Premier League history, Leicester City has no intention of selling its best players.

Manager Craig Shakespeare dismissed the notion prior to Wednesday's trip to Arsenal, with top-flight survival still the club's primary objective.

"We have said before we don't want to be a selling club. All the players are happy here," Shakespeare said, according to Reuters. "They are a very unique group. We have created something here which is quite special, so they have said they are quite happy.

"I have no problems with players being ambitious, but they are at a good club here and get looked after well."

Following last season's unlikely triumph, speculation intensified that Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez would depart. Neither did, and although Vardy has enjoyed a renaissance as of late, both players have struggled to replicate their form this year.

Vardy, Mahrez, Danny Drinkwater, and Kasper Schmeichel are all on long-term contracts, but unlike last summer, Leicester cannot use the prospect of European football as bait. The Foxes' fairy-tale run in the Champions League ended at the quarter-final stage, as Atletico Madrid blocked their progress with a 2-1 aggregate win.

Shakespeare restored belief in the east Midlands after replacing beloved manager Claudio Ranieri in February, guiding Leicester to five straight Premier League wins. But a 4-2 defeat to Everton and a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace has left his side just six points clear of the relegation zone with six matches remaining.

Leicester has not yet decided whether to keep Shakespeare beyond the 2016-17 campaign, although the 53-year-old revealed he will have a role to play in the club's preseason activities.

"We need to make sure we get enough points to stay in the league first, and the time will come to sit down," he said.