John Percy of The Telegraph has reported that Chelsea were told to make a “world-record offer” for Wesley Fofana, who is later dubbed a “generational talent” by Percy.
Following on from comments made by Brendan Rodgers that the Blues had yet to match Leicester City’s valuation, it has come out that Thomas Tuchel’s side will need to trump the £80 million paid for Harry Maguire if they want to secure the services of the French defender.
Chelsea Must Make ‘World Record Offer’ for Wesley Fofana
Chelsea will have to make world-record offer to sign Wesley Fofana reports @JPercyTelegraph https://t.co/APd1B4rzRb
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) August 12, 2022
Hard-Lined Stance
The Foxes are very clear in their desire to not sell the 21-year-old. With the defender not angling for a move or close to the end of his contract the club has no pressure to offload the talented youngster and will instead require eye-popping money to let him leave.
Read More: Leicester City Duo Not for Sale This Summer
While their position is understandable it is sure to frustrate Chelsea fans who have already seen their team miss out on Jules Kounde and Matthijs de Ligt in this window.
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers: “There have been no new proposals for Wesley Fofana this week”, he told @OwynnPA. 🚨🔵 #LCFC
“There had been two from Chelsea, but neither came anywhere close to the valuation”, Rodgers added. #CFC pic.twitter.com/bkiCadIJxL
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 11, 2022
Is Wesley Fofana Worth It?
Admittedly, if you’re going to spend a world record fee on anyone it should probably be a 21-year-old with Premier League experience who won’t need time to adjust to the league. In saying that, this kind of fee will bring with it a tremendous pressure to deliver which could knock the Frenchman off form if he doesn’t hit the ground running.
Read More: New Chelsea Ownership Looking to Offload Expensive Contracts
Todd Boehly and co. have already invested a lot of money in this off-season to strengthen the team. Paying out a world-record fee may be a bridge too far this year especially as the squad is still trying to offload some of the expensive deadweights of the Abramovich era. The big issue is, the defender’s value may only go up as the years go by, £80 million-plus may end up being a bargain in a few years time.
