As per reports, Premier League giants Chelsea are preparing a third offer for Leicester City centre-back Wesley Fofana, but they have other central-defensive targets in mind if that approach fails.
Chelsea have already had two bids for the 21-year-old rejected, with Sky Sports News reporting that neither was competitive with Leicester’s asking price. The Foxes do not want to sell the Frenchman and are confident of keeping him after he signed a new five-year contract in March. Chelsea is likely to put that resolve to the test later this week.
After joining Leicester for 31 million pounds from Saint-Etienne, Fofana had an incredible breakthrough season in 2020/21. Last season, however, the 21-year-old defender suffered an early injury that kept him out for the majority of the season.
Despite this, the French defender has several suitors this summer, including Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. Currently, Tuchel’s Chelsea appear to be leading the race after Brendan Rodgers’ side rejected bids of 60 and 70 million pounds.
Despite the setback, the Blues are still keen on signing Fofana, and it has been reported that new owner Todd Boehly is willing to pay up to 85 million this summer to secure his services. It also helps that the player is eager to move, with reports claiming that he was disappointed when Leicester rejected Chelsea’s most recent offer.
Chelsea are preparing a third bid for Fofana, according to Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett. He confirms that this one will be ‘closer’ to Leicester’s valuation and will ‘test’ their resolve because they still refuse to sell him. Dorsett also claims that the Foxes’ reluctance to sell him and the asking price will rise as the window closes due to the limited time they will have to find a replacement.
Despite the signing of Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, Thomas Tuchel has stated that another central defender is a priority following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
So far, bids for Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde have fallen through. Leicester’s reluctance to sell Fofana, as well as their asking price, will only grow as the window progresses, with less time for that money to be re-invested in a defensive replacement.
