Chelsea have been dealt a blow in pursuit of Wesley Fofana as Leicester City have no intentions of selling the 21-year-old defender this summer.
According to the Daily Mail, Leicester City have no intentions of losing key defender Wesley Fofana in the ongoing transfer window amidst strong interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea.
Fofana joined Leicester in the summer of 2020, arriving from St. Etienne in a deal worth £31 million. The 21-year-old enjoyed a brilliant debut season as he quickly became a permanent fixture in the Foxes’ backline, helping them win the FA Cup. However, he endured a torrid campaign last time out as a serious injury in pre-season sidelined him for the majority of the season.
Indeed, Fofana played just 12 matches in all competitions in 2021/22. Despite that, the impact he made in his debut campaign has meant that clubs are very much interested in signing the 21-year-old. There have been links with giants like Real Madrid and Manchester United in the recent past, and now Chelsea have also shown an interest in Fofana.
Chelsea are in the market for new defenders after losing Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger. The Blues are also staring at the possibility of saying goodbye to Cesar Azpilicueta, who is interested in joining Barcelona. It has forced Thomas Tuchel’s side into the market for multiple centre-back additions this summer.
Chelsea have already signed Kalidou Koulibaly, but have faced several setbacks in pursuit of their other targets. Matthijs de Ligt opted to join Bayern Munich while Jules Kounde snubbed Chelsea for Barcelona. And with Manchester City refusing to sell Nathan Ake, the west Londoners have been forced to look for other targets, with Fofana emerging as one.
Fofana has proven himself at this level already, and given his age, he would be a long-term investment for Chelsea. However, as things stand, Leicester City have no interest whatsoever in selling Fofana this summer. The defender signed a new contract with the Foxes earlier this year, extending his stay at the King Power Stadium until the summer of 2027.
So, Leicester are under no pressure to sell him. And even if they are willing to consider such a possibility, Brendan Rodgers’ side would demand a world-record fee for the 21-year-old, having previously sold Harry Maguire to Manchester United for £80 million. So, Chelsea’s pursuit of Fofana is unlikely to yield the desired result, and they will likely have to look at other alternatives.