Leicester City have been dealt a huge blow as Wesley Fofana has handed in a transfer request as he looks to force through a move to Chelsea.
It’s been a quiet window at Leicester, but an extremely busy one for Chelsea, and the Blues look set to continue their summer spend by adding Fofana to their ranks. Brendan Rodgers has only made one summer signing, as 32-year-old goalkeeper Alex Smithies joined the club on a free transfer from QPR after Kasper Schmeichel left to join Nice.
Leicester’s focus has been on keeping their squad intact following interest in Youri Tielemans, James Maddison and Fofana, but it looks increasingly likely that the defender could leave in a deal worth £80million. Fofana has already ‘agreed’ personal terms with the London club, and is doing all he can to leave before the deadline.
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(Image: Leicester City)
The Guardian reported on Tuesday that Fofana had told Leicester that he wants to leave this summer, and the 21-year-old has already agreed terms with Chelsea, according to Fabrizio Romano, ahead of a move. A fee still needs to be negotiated with Leicester, with the Foxes sticking with their £80m valuation.
With clauses and bonuses, the package Chelsea have been quoted for Fofana would make him the most expensive defender of all-time. Ironically, Fofana was the replacement for Harry Maguire, who currently holds that title after making the move from Leicester to Manchester United.
Chelsea have made a strong start to the Premier League season, and defensive signings Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly linked up to open the scoring against Tottenham on Sunday. But Thomas Tuchel isn’t done just yet, with Fofana drawn up as the ideal long-term solution at the back.
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The Blues lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen this summer, and although Cesar Azpilicueta has decided to stay put, fellow Spaniard Marcos Alonso could still leave the club. Chelsea have already spent close to £100m on both Cucurella and Koulibaly, with their total spend already surpassing £160m with Raheem Sterling, Carney Chukwuemeka and Gabriel Slonina joining the squad.
But Fofana could complete a statement summer under the new ownership, with Todd Boehly looking to make his mark after Roman Abramovich left the club. Losing Fofana would be a huge blow for Leicester, especially with just two weeks remaining between now and the end of the summer window.
But they would be making a cool £50m profit on the youngster, who was originally signed from St Etienne in 2020. It was made clear earlier in the window that Leicester would have to sell in order to bring in new signings, and the Foxes will be scrambling to recruit a new defender should Fofana’s wish be granted.
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