Claudio Ranieri: Not many clubs could afford Jamie Vardy

In the eyes of Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri, in-form striker Jamie Vardy has propelled himself into an elite class of players

Ranieri predicts few teams in the world could afford Vardy after the blistering scoring run that's seen the 28-year-old become just the eighth player in Premier League history to record a goal in seven consecutive matches.

That kind of production inevitably triggers speculation over a possible move, but it won't come cheap if Ranieri has a say, all but eliminating teams who don't possess the spending power of Europe's top clubs from contention.

"It is important he enjoys it here, after that, I can understand if he wants to go and find some great club. But he costs a lot," Ranieri told the Leicester Mercury.

"If Real Madrid or some big names want to buy him, they have the money to buy him. But not many teams can buy him now.

"He is very happy here. We do not want to sell him. That is clear."

Vardy's incredible scoring streak brings his total to 10 goals in 10 matches to lead the Premier League. He'd also be the leading scorer at Real Madrid, topping Cristiano Ronaldo's seven league goals.