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Arsene Wenger claimed he still has “respect” for Jamie Vardy - but then warned that the striker's team-mate N’Golo Kante is set to leave Leicester.

England star Vardy has turned down a £20million move to Arsenal to stay with the champions, who have handed him a new deal worth £100,000-a-week.

Vardy kept the Gunners waiting for nearly three weeks, but their manager Wenger claims he is not bitter — although he dropped a bombshell by claiming he thinks midfield workhorse Kantewill move on this summer.

Wenger has been heavily linked with Kante and did not rule out making a move for the France international, but also suggested he already has enough midfielders.

However, he believes Nice defensive midfielder Nampalys Mendy will soon join Leicester, paving the way for Kante - who has a buy-out clause - to depart.

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Wenger, in an interview with beIN Sports, said: “I think Leicester have made a statement and Vardy will stay. We were on the case and interested, but not more than that.

"He has decided to stay at Leicester and good luck to him.

“He came late to the game and in fairness Leicester bought him from Fleetwood and he has been successful. He is 29 and he has chosen to stay at Leicester. You have to respect that.”

Wenger, who has already signed Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka this summer in a £30m deal, believes Kante will leave the Premier League champions.

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“It is very difficult to talk about that at the moment,” he said. “Kante is on the list of many clubs. It is an area where we have many players.

“We will see what happens in the next two or three weeks. It looks like Leicester have bought a player from Nice [Nampalys Mendy] with similar qualities to Kante, so whether they envisage to lose him or not I don’t know.

“If you ask 100 people in the street if they want Kante to play [for France] you will get 100 saying yes. He has done the job in one or two games and I am not surprised.

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“I said two months ago this boy will play the whole European Championship. We know him well from Leicester now and I am not surprised that he is starting. He has been one of the revelations of the French team.”

Arsenal have been left in limbo in their search for a striker after Vardy’s snub.

They also fear Spain international striker Alvaro Morata could end up at Chelsea.

Real Madrid hold all the aces on that one, with a buy-back clause set to see him return to the La Liga giants from Juventus.

Wenger also ruled out a move into international management, dismissing the idea of him one day taking over as France boss.

The 66-year-old has one year left on his current contract at Arsenal, wants to stay there and is hopeful that Les Bleus will enjoy a successful Euros on homr soil this summer under Didier Deschamps.

“I think this time [to move into international management] has gone now," he said. "I have been asked a few times to do it. I was always busy somewhere else.

(Image: UEFA via Getty)

“I just want my country to do well and have a good tournament because at the moment this country is going through a very difficult time. We have been hit hard through terrorism, strikes and many other unrests.

“The country is a bit flat mentally at the moment, and they need a bit of happiness.

"Hopefully this tournament can give it to the country.”