Leicester City have hinted through their social media channels that Leeds United target Bilal El Khannouss is not close to leaving the club.
The Whites have held talks over a potential move for the attacking midfielder this summer. The 22-cap Morocco international was one of the bright sparks from a less than memorable campaign which ended in relegation back down to the Championship for the Foxes.
It's thought that Leicester want a price of around £30million for the player if they are to sell. Despite the interest from Leeds, El Khannouss started and played the majority of last week's pre-season friendly vs Fiorentina - where he assisted the first goal in a 2-0 win.
Leicester are in competitive action for the first time this season when they take on Sheffield Wednesday in their Championship opener at the King Power Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Potential transfer hints sometimes come from team-sheets before games during the transfer window. But in their build-up to the match, on social media, the Leicester official account may have provided a hint on the stance on El Khannouss.
They first shared some pictures of the squad during their preparations for the game, with a short caption reading: "Matchday -1." The first picture has El Khannouss front and centre.
Around an hour later, 24 hours before their opening match-up, they wrote: "We begin, this time tomorrow." the picture included in the post shows El Khannouss celebrating with teammate, Abdul Fatawu, after his goal in last week's friendly against Fiorentina.
Leicester have also released their squad numbers, with El Khannouss retaining the No.11 that he wore last season.
Those updates come a day after Foxes' boss, Marti Cifuentes, admitted that there has been 'conversations' about possible exits of some members of his squad.
"There are conversations around some players and there is interest around them," he said. "But that's the reality for all clubs around the country."
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