After lengthy talks, Leicester City centre-back Wesley Fofana has signed for Chelsea on a long-term contract. The Frenchman has become the Blues’ fourth signing of the season after Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Marc Cucurella.
The Blues’ new ownership had Fofana flown across the Atlantic and back as part of the medical procedures after agreeing to pay the Foxes a fee rising to 75 million pounds. Upon the completion of the formalities, the defender signed a massive seven-year contract with the London club, running until the end of the 2028/29 season.
Speaking to the club media, the 21-year-old expressed his delight at joining Chelsea – the player reportedly had been pushing for the move once news of their interest in him broke out – claiming that he has arrived at Stamford Bridge to win trophies.
“The two last days have been really big days for me and I’m very happy. I trained this morning with the team and it’s a dream for me. I’m very excited to start playing games for the fans and the club.”
“I’m here to win trophies – the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, everything. I came here to win and the club is built to win trophies so I’m here to continue that,”
he told the Chelsea website.
Fofana hopped through the academies of local clubs before signing a professional contract with Saint-Etienne. He enjoyed a memorable season in 2019/20 with ASSE – the year after, he was bought by Leicester City in a 35 million pound deal. He leaves the Foxes with 58 appearances in the bag, having spent much of the previous season on the sidelines due to a long-term injury.
The Blues, who have started the season in dreadful form, have now splashed more than 200 million pounds on senior signings.