Wesley Fofana has reportedly requested to leave Leicester City, allowing him to make a big-money move to Chelsea this summer.
The Blues have already had bids of £60million and £65m rejected as they seek to bolster their options in central defence.
The Foxes are, however, holding out for a fee of around £80m for the Frenchman before accepting an offer.
Wesley Fofana wants to leave Leicester City to join Chelsea in a big-money move this summer
The Blues have already had £60million and £65m bids rejected for the French defender
Leicester’s original stance was that the 21 year-old was not for sale. Though manager Brendan Rodgers also admitted this week that ‘naturally if there is interest from other clubs then of course that is looked at by the club.’
Fofana, who signed a new five-year Leicester deal in March, has now asked Leicester to come to an agreement with Chelsea, according to The Guardian.
Fofana has continued to feature for Leicester at the start of this season, playing 90 minutes in their opening day 2-2 draw at home against Brentford before also playing the full match at Arsenal where he was booked during the 4-2 loss.
The 21-year-old defender has continued to feature for Leicester at the start of the new season
The Frenchman is, however, keen to move to Stamford Bridge where he can expect a much improved deal worth around £200,000 per week before the transfer window slams shut with personal terms said to have already been agreed.
It is expected that Leicester who were originally reluctant to sell will eventually accept a deal.
The Blues have been looking for new defensive options for much of the summer following the exits of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger who both left for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively following the expiration of their contracts.
Boss Thomas Tuchel has managed to strengthen his defence with the signings of Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has already managed to strengthen his defence in the window
Signing Fofana would give the German freedom to use Reece James as a right wing-back on a regular basis.
Chelsea are also in the market for a forward as well as a defender and are being heavily linked with Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The cash strapped Spanish side want £21million for the Gabon star – who only joined the club in January.
However, Blues full-back Marcos Alonso could also be included as part of a player swap deal.