Chelsea are reportedly preparing a fresh bid for Wesley Fofana after their initial offer was rejected by Leicester City earlier this week.
According to Rudy Galetti, Chelsea are ramping up their pursuit of Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana, having already agreed on personal terms with the 21-year-old. After their opening move hit a brick wall, the Blues are prepared to test the Foxes’ resolve with a second offer.
With new ownership now in place at Stamford Bridge, American billionaire Todd Boehly has helped to fund high-profile moves for Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly. But there are a lot of problems to fix with the new Premier League season looming.
The departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have left a gaping hole at the back. Despite landing Koulibaly, Thomas Tuchel’s defence is looking short in numbers. Then there are decisions to be made over the uncertain Chelsea futures of full-backs Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso, both of whom are courting interest from Barcelona.
The Blues lost out in the race to sign Matthijs de Ligt, while Jules Kounde has snubbed Chelsea in favour of joining Barcelona. As such, Leicester City’s 21-year-old centre-back Wesley Fofana has emerged as a top target for the west Londoners, who are in the market to bring in at least two more defenders.
?? #Chelsea are pushing hard for Wesley #Fofana: personal terms already agreed with the ?? centre-back. ✅
?? After the first bid refused by #Leicester some days ago, now #CFC are ready to make a new proposal: evolving situation. ?⚽#Transfers #Calciomercato #LCFC pic.twitter.com/L2DgBNIUcU
— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) July 30, 2022
Fofana missed two-thirds of last season due to an injury. But he delivered on the hype when he returned to play 12 games and was instrumental in their run to the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals and late surge into the top half in the Premier League.
Prior to that, the 21-year-old had a stellar debut season in the English top-flight where he impressed the onlookers with his ball-playing qualities, composure, game reading and ability to perform defensive actions effortlessly. The French defender is a ready-made Premier League star and a phenomenal centre-back with a huge upside.
He has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most talented young defenders and has the potential to become one of the best in the world. But Fofana will not come cheap nor easy, having recently signed a new deal with Leicester City, extending his stay at the King Power Stadium until 2027.
Chelsea have failed with a first bid for the 21-year-old, with the Foxes believed to be demanding a world-record fee for their prized defender. While Leicester are showing reluctance to lose their star man, a move to Chelsea is not totally off the cards.
Reports suggest the centre-back is keen on joining a big club as he feels it would give him a better chance at making France’s 2022 FIFA World Cup squad. Therefore, Chelsea being in the UEFA Champions League is a huge pull for the player, and it is one of the key reasons why he has already agreed on personal terms with them.
According to Rudy Galetti, Chelsea remain determined to prise Fofana away from Leicester despite the huge asking price and are set to launch another assault to land their man. Ultimately, it could all come down to the Foxes’ financial bearing, as they are relying on player sales to generate much-needed funds to conduct business this summer.
Chelsea can still sign to other areas but at least, one more versatile defender is needed b4 the season start on saturday.