Chelsea are enduring a mixed transfer window as they are set to miss out on another center-back after the signing of Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly.
The defender in discussion here is Leicester City’s Wesley Fofana who is highly rated by Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel and has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.
However, Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has dismissed the reports of Fofana’s exit by stating that the defender is ‘not for sale’.
Chelsea are in dire need of defensive reinforcements after losing both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen for free this summer. As a result, they are linked with moves for Fofana as well as RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol.
Fofana, Gvardiol deals ‘really difficult’ for Chelsea
Chelsea were recently hit by a thunderbolt after FC Barcelona hijacked their deal for long-term target Jules Kounde.
While Tuchel’s side had agreed a £55 million deal with Sevilla for Kounde, Barcelona’s last-minute offer saw them fall second to the Catalans for a third straight time.
Their hit-and-miss could continue with other targets after Brendan Rodgers’ recent claims. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has delivered an update on Chelsea’s pursuit of Fofana and Gvardiol which won’t go down well with the club’s hierarchy.
The Italian journalist tweeted, “Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers tells @owynnpa that Wesley Fofana is ‘not for sale,’ very clear on club position – same as the board.”
However, he added that Chelsea do not intend to give up yet and will go again for the defender duo.
“Chelsea have still no intention to give up and will try to negotiate again next week on Fofana/ [Josko] Gvardiol, both really difficult.”
Fofana was signed by Leicester back in 2020from French side Saint Etienne for a fee of £31.5 million. The 21-year-old has since featured in 50 games for the Foxes, proving to be a rock-solid presence in their backline.
A fractured fibula however kept the youngster out of action for major part of the last season, limiting his game time to a mere 12 appearances across all competitions.
Fofana missed 31 league games last season, which proved to be too costly for Leicester who let in 52 goals in those games, 15 more than they let in during his 28 appearances in the 2020/21 season.
As evident, Fofana has been a crucial part of this Leicester team who have locked him down to a long-term contract which runs till the summer of 2027.
It certainly going to be difficult for Chelsea to lure the defender to Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, the Blues are searching for more options apart from Fofana and Gvardiol.