Italian will commit his long-term future to Midlands club after stunning Premier League title success last season in charge
CLAUDIO RANIERI has revealed he will sign a bumper new four-year deal before the start of the season.
He then urged Chelsea target N'Golo Kante to follow his lead — or come clean and admit he is off.
Having persuaded Jamie Vardy to snub a career-changing move to Arsenal, Leicester boss Ranieri now wants Kante to turn his back on Antonio Conte's Blues and his other mega-rich suitors.
And the Italian, 64, says he is ready to set the perfect example by signing a double-your-money £70,000-a-week deal to commit his own future to the defending champions until 2020.
Ranieri revealed: "I have the contract and the chairman wants me to sign it.
"I don't have a problem, I am happy to stay.
"I think before the season I will sign. But it's not important because last year I signed a three-year contract.
"When my agent comes to me and says ‘sign', I will sign without looking!"
With keeper Kasper Schmeichel and winger Riyad Mahrez also set to stay, Ranieri knows retaining Kante is key to his dream of keeping his title-winning squad together for their first taste of the Champions League.
Chelsea, Real Madrid, Juventus and big-spending Chinese outfit Shanghai SIPG are all itching to trigger the France midfielder's £20million release clause.
Leicester have offered the 25-year-old a £100,000-a-week contract extension and Ranieri wants an answer on it — now.
The Foxes chief, speaking from the club's training camp in Austria, said: "I'd like to be sure NOW about who stays with me or not.
"We start our friendly matches at Oxford on Tuesday and I'd like to understand if N'Golo stays.
"I speak often with him but I still don't know. I do know we offered a new contract to him but he went away because he wanted to finish Euro 2016.
"Now there is so much speculation.
"Maybe it is Chelsea, maybe it is another team who made the Champions League?
"I don't want to lose him but I can understand if he wants to go.
"Of course, I want to keep the whole group together.
"But I've always said, if one player is not happy to stay, I prefer that he goes."Ranieri thanked England striker Vardy for turning down the Gunners to remain football royalty at the King Power. He added: "Jamie made a fantastic choice and I want to thank him, his wife and his family because it was so important."It was fantastic because Jamie is one of our points of reference.
"All his team-mates are happy and his decision gave us a lot of energy to have another good season.
"What was said between me and him, I won't say. What happens in the dressing room is for me and the players to know.
"I didn't go with all the speculation, I believed in the man and was very happy.
"Maybe because he started at the bottom, he feels we are his family and he wanted us to experience our first Champions League together.
"He enjoys it here. Here he is a king."
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