Ben Chilwell commits to Foxes

Leicester defender Ben Chilwell insists he is buzzing after signing a new long-term contract with the Premier League champions on Thursday.

Chilwell is a product of Leicester’s youth academy but is yet to get his chance to shine for the club in the Premier League.

The 19-year-old has proved his quality after featuring in the FA Cup and the EFL trophy and hopes to be handed his Premier League opportunity in 2016-17.

Boss Claudio Ranieri values the defender and allowed him to leave on-loan last term in order to gain some first team experience.

The full-back was forced out of contention by Christian Fuchs and dropped down to the Championship for an eight-game spell with Huddersfield.

The England under-21 international has been attracting interest from elsewhere as he looks a prospect for the future with Liverpool the biggest name to monitor his progress.

Leicester, who are priced at 25.00 to win the league, have handed him a new contract which runs to June 2021 and will hope that will fend off any potential suitors.

Ranieri admitted that the deal is a huge boost to the club and expects he will have a big role to play in the future.

“It’s fantastic news for us. Ben is a player with a big future and I am very happy that future will be with Leicester City,”

Ranieri said. “Ever since I arrived in Leicester, Ben has been a young player that has shown a lot of promise.

He has all the attributes you would want in a defender and shows a lot of maturity for a player of just 19.

“He has come back for pre-season in very good condition and is already showing that he is ready to push for a place in the team.”

Chilwell insists it is nice to have security in his contract with the club and can’t wait to get going with the new campaign.

He said: “Obviously I’m buzzing – it’s a great thing to sign a new long-term contract with Leicester City.

I’ve been here a long time, since I was 12 years-old, so to be committed to the Club for another five years is definitely a massive thing and I’m looking forward to it.

“I’m happy with my decision and I can’t wait to get started in the season. Hopefully I’ll play a lot more games this season and make myself a team member.”