Chelsea have reportedly pulled the plug on their pursuit of 21-year-old Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana.
According to The Sun, Chelsea are set to call off their pursuit of key defensive target Wesley Fofana. The Blues had been keen on landing the French Under-21 international in the ongoing transfer window but have withdrawn their interest in him, with Leicester City playing hardball over payment terms and asking price.
Chelsea have already missed out on French international Jules Kounde, who chose to join Barcelona. Meanwhile, Presnel Kimpembe and Nathan Ake are committed to their parent clubs. Tuchel has brought in Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli. However, the exits of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have left the Blues in need of at least one more defender.
As such, Leicester City’s Wesley Fofana emerged as their key defensive target before the closure of the window. And the Blues have been frantically working on a move for the Frenchman, who is determined to force through a transfer to Stamford Bridge but to little fruition.
Leicester want at least £85 million for Fofana, a world-record amount for a defender. Chelsea are claimed to be unwilling to pay that sum yet and consider it too steep for someone who is yet to make his senior France debut, although he has featured five times for his country’s under-21 side.
Then there is the fact that the 21-year-old is coming off the back of a serious injury and missed half of the 2021/22 season. Fofana also does not boast an extensive Premier League experience, having featured in less than 40 English top-flight games.
The Foxes have now rejected a third bid from Chelsea for the 21-year-old, the latest of which was worth a whopping £60 million with a further £10 million in add-ons. The big-money sum could not convince Leicester, who regard the add-ons as far from achievable and refused to lose ground in negotiations, with Fofana under a long-term contract until 2027 at the King Power Stadium.
Fofana would have been an excellent signing for Chelsea as he has that composed demeanour at the back that is critical to becoming a world-class defender. At just 21, he has impressed with his high defensive output, and he relishes making well-timed tackles, winning the majority of his contested aerial duels, and making crucial interventions owing to his exceptional game-reading acumen.
However, the latest rejected proposal was understood to be Chelsea’s final attempt in their push to get the Fofana deal over the line with the deadline fast approaching. It is coming to a point where the Foxes may decide to keep him. Chelsea are said to have moved on to alternative targets, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba one of the names being considered.
As for Fofana, this might be disappointing news, considering his ambition was to join a big club. He was left out of the Leicester team for the match against Southampton last weekend, with his immediate future at the club is up in the air. It remains to be seen whether he will be reintegrated into the squad this weekend after this latest developments.
