Chelsea have submitted a £60 million bid for Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Leicester have rejected the West-London club’s approach and reiterated that the “unbelievable” France U21 international is not for sale. Despite this, Chelsea are reportedly preparing a second bid and Fofana is understood to be in favour of the move to Stamford Bridge. Leicester have, though, conceded that an offer in the region of £80 million would be accepted.
Chelsea Not Deterred by ‘Not-For-Sale’ Tag on Leicester City Defender Wesley Fofana
Chelsea have submitted £60m proposal for Wesley Fofana, confirmed as advanced by @lequipe. Bid has been turned down by Leicester as they insist on not-for-sale stance 🚨🔵 #CFC
Been told Chelsea are preparing another approach, they want to push for Fofana and he wants the move. pic.twitter.com/lYjEUW1isI
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 4, 2022
Fofana Fits the Bill
Chelsea have been interested in Fofana for some time as they missed out on other centre-back targets Jules Kounde and Mathias de Ligt. Despite this interest, it seems that Leicester are determined to keep their player at the club.
Fofana joined Leicester for £32 million from Ligue 1 outfit Saint-Etienne in the Summer of 2020 and went on to make 28 appearances for the Foxes in his first season in the Premier League.
Unfortunately, a broken leg sustained in a pre-season friendly before the 2021/22 campaign limited the 21-year-old to only seven appearances in his second year at the club. However, this has not dulled any interest in the highly rated youngster as Chelsea appear determined to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
Breaking: Chelsea are preparing a bid for Wesley Fofana worth over £70m. Todd Boehly is confident that a deal can be agreed despite a £62m offer being rejected last night.
Fofana really wants to join Chelsea and is trying to put pressure on Leicester to let him leave. #CFC pic.twitter.com/mK8sWpEyKB
— CfcSheikh (@CfcSheikh) August 4, 2022
Despite only registering 630 minutes last season, Fofana still managed some impressive numbers in the Premier League logging five progressive carries per 90 and completing almost 90% of his passes. Composed in possession while also solid defensively, it’s easy to see why Fofana is coveted by Chelsea for Thomas Tuchel’s three centre-back system.
Two Very Different Transfer Windows
Chelsea have enjoyed a busy transfer window signing Raheem Sterling from Manchester City and Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli with a deal also seemingly close for Brighton and Hove Albion’s Marc Cucurella. Due to the departures of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, however, the team look to be focused on bringing in another centre-back for the first team.
Leicester on the other hand have had a quiet transfer window being yet to bring in any players to bolster their first team. With a disappointing eighth-place finish in the 2021/22 Premier League campaign, it’s likely that fans will be frustrated with the lack of business as the East Midlands outfit looks to push for a return to European football.
Read More: Every Premier League Transfer Completed in Summer 2022
For now, it seems Leicester’s main focus this window is on retaining their key players. However, only time will tell if the former Premier League Champions will be successful.
