Ben Chilwell, Leicester City Agree to New Contract: Latest Details and Reaction

Ben Chilwell officially signed a new contract at Leicester City on Thursday, keeping him with the Premier League champions for a further five years, the club announced. 

The 19-year-old left-back, who is on tour with the first-team squad in Los Angeles for their pre-season International Champions Cup campaign, is one of the most promising teenagers in English football, and he had recently been linked with an £8 million move to Liverpool, per the Sun's Alan Nixon.

However, the Foxes' youth academy product has now committed his future to the Premier League winners and has extended his stay at the King Power Stadium until 2021.

Leicester confirmed the news on their official Twitter account:

Per Sam Kearns of Metro.co.uk, the teenager turned down both Liverpool and Arsenal to agree to a new contract and has been earmarked as a future England international.

According to WhoScored.com, the youngster has made three appearances for Leicester but none in the Premier League.

He spent a portion of the 2015-16 campaign in the Championship after being sent out on loan to Huddersfield Town. After featuring in eight league matches, he returned to his parent club in a bid to secure first-team football for the new season.

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A modern, ball-playing defender, Chilwell is composed in possession and calm in the opposition's third.

He has the intelligence and aptitude to pick a pass for a winger and is equally adept at cutting inside. While still developing physically, the England under-21 international will have to continue to bulk up in order to manage the physicality of senior Premier League football. 

However, he is in a great condition to do so and looked bright with the ball at his feet in Leicester's first game of the 2016 ICC against Celtic. Chilwell played every minute against Brendan Rodgers' side and will have gained a lot of confidence from the outing.

Per LCFC, the teenager spoke after that match, voicing his pleasure at the result:

Currently behind Austria captain Christian Fuchs in the battle for the left of defence, Chilwell may have to be patient in order to secure a regular first-team position. However, the signing of a new contract enables Leicester to stagger his involvement to ensure he is not pushed into the spotlight too early in his career.

Per the club website, Chilwell has been with Leicester since the age of 11 and went on to captain the under-18 side before featuring for the older age categories. The Englishman's rise to prominence has come at the perfect time for manager Claudio Ranieri ahead of his team's first foray into the UEFA Champions League. 

Per Joe Bernstein of MailOnline, rules state that clubs must feature a certain number of "homegrown" players in their squads for the competition.

Despite the defender's young age meaning he won't qualify as "homegrown" for a further two years, his Italian coach will be satisfied future plans are already in place.

Ranieri was delighted with Chilwell's decision to stay on at the east Midlands outfit. Per the club's official website, he said:

"

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.

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.

"

Not only does this contract agreement bolster the champions' squad, the deal is another symbol of Leicester's intent to remain at the forefront of the league table after their shock title triumph last term.

Fending off key title-challenging rivals Liverpool and Arsenal for one of football's hottest properties should ensure that both clubs acknowledge the Foxes' continued lofty ambitions.