Transfer News: Leicester City have rejected a third bid by Chelsea for Wesley Fofana.
The transfer saga involving Wesley Fofana and Chelsea seems to continue. According to The Telegraph (subscription required) [h/t football.london], Leicester City have rejected a bid of around £70 million for the 21-year-old centre-back.
Thomas Tuchel has identified the French defender as his priority signing, but that is proving to be difficult. This was the Blues’ third bid that got rejected over the summer. It is also understood that the add-ons that were offered were deemed unrealistic and difficult to achieve.
Leicester are reluctant to sell the centre-back. But they could come to the table if the west London club are prepared to break the world-record £80 million fee for a defender to land the 21-year-old.
Such reluctance to sell their defender would come as a major blow to Chelsea. Tuchel has bought in Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella this summer but could do with another centre-back. Fofana is the preferred target, but negotiations are proving to be very tough.
The Frenchman joined the Foxes for £30 million in 2020 from the French side Saint-Etienne. He missed most of the 2021-22 season due to injury but was impressed in the few matches that he played. An up-and-coming defender, the 21-year-old would make an ideal signing for the Blues.
Tuchel has very limited options at the back currently. The club has only four recognised centre-backs, with two of them being linked with a move away from the club. Options are very thin at the back and adding another centre-back has been a priority for some time now.
But time is running short. The deadline day is less than a week away and no deal seems to be close to being agreed upon. However, the player is said to have already agreed to personal terms with Chelsea. So, if a deal is struck between the two clubs, the after-process should not take long.
Chelsea take on Leicester for their next game this Saturday. Whether Fofana makes the squad remains to be seen. Tuchel will know that he has very limited time to get his house in order, or it could be a long season for him and the fans.
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