Leicester City ‘will not sell' stars, vow Thai owners

Leicester City's Thai owners vowed Tuesday to resist any pressure to sell the much-coveted stars who have propelled them to an unlikely English Premier League victory.

Star striker Jamie Vardy, fleet-footed winger Riyad Mahrez and midfield enforcer N'Golo Kante have caught the eye with outstanding displays and would likely command massive transfer fees if sold.

But speaking to Thai television, club vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said the Midlands outfit was under no pressure to sell -- and had in fact already contacted a number of potential new recruits.

"Leicester is not the team that will sell players -- as I said on the first day... we want to create a foundation of the team. They have grown together," Top, as he is better known, told Channel 3 television.

"All players want to stay and want to see how far the team can go... everyone is happy."

Top's billionaire father Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha bought the club in 2010 with cash from his wildly successful duty-free business, King Power.

The team defied 5000-1 odds to win the Premier League on Monday night, after second-placed Spurs failed to win at Chelsea.

The Foxes Thai owners have since been lavished with praise for their savvy handling of the club's financial and personnel affairs -- including the summer replacement of sacked manager Nigel Pearson with Claudio Ranieri.

"We plan six months in advance," Top added. "We plan on buying players six months in advance and have contacted some already."

As well as holding the vice-chairmanship, Top carries out media duties for his father Vichai.

The club's balance sheet is set to be boosted by tens of millions of pounds for winning the league, while their marketing and merchandising potential will also surge.

Next year they can also draw on their share of the the record $7 billion television rights deal to reinforce the squad and cover the inevitable pay rises.