Chelsea have received a boost in pursuit of Wesley Fofana as he has informed Leicester City that he wishes to join the Blues this summer.
According to 90 Min, Wesley Fofana has informed Leicester City that he wants to join Chelsea in the ongoing transfer window, although the Foxes are uninterested in selling the French defender.
Fofana joined Leicester City in the summer of 2020 from Saint Etienne and quickly became a key player in Brendan Rodgers’ side, helping them win the FA Cup in his debut season. However, the 21-year-old missed a large chunk of the 2021/22 campaign after suffering a serious injury in pre-season.
Despite not playing much over the past year, Fofana’s stock remains high as ever, as Chelsea are keen on signing the French centre-half this summer. The Blues have been intent on adding at least two top centre-backs this summer and have brought in Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli already.
However, their pursuit of another defender has not gone according to plans as they missed out on several key targets like Matthijs de Ligt, Jules Kounde and Nathan Ake before settling in on Fofana as their priority. Chelsea saw a £60 million bid for the French Under-21 international get rejected by Leicester City.
In the aftermath, the west London club are lining up a fresh offer of around £70 million. And their hopes of landing Fofana have now received a major boost as the 21-year-old has made it clear to Leicester City that he wants to make the switch to Stamford Bridge before the transfer window closes.
Leicester City, for their part, are not interested in selling Fofana. If they are forced to part ways with the Frenchman, the Foxes want a sum of £80 million for their prized asset, considering his age and the fact that his contract with the club runs until the summer of 2027. Leicester believe that the 21-year-old is at least as valuable, if not more, than Harry Maguire, who they sold to Manchester United for over £80 million.
Chelsea are prepared to pay £70 million for Fofana as things stand, but it would not be beyond the Blues to increase their offer to meet Leicester’s demands for the defender. Thomas Tuchel has been desperate for defensive additions this summer and has recently acquired the services of Marc Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion. Whether Fofana is the next to arrive at Stamford Bridge remains to be seen.
