Chelsea are refusing to give up in their pursuit of Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana, who Todd Boehly will hope follows Marc Cucurella and Frenkie de Jong to Stamford Bridge. The summer transfer window is heating up for the Blues, who are spinning multiple plates concerning both arrivals and departures.
Chelsea have been on a mission to rejuvenate their defence this summer – albeit one that was forced on them by the double exit of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen at the end of June. While there has been plenty of frustration for boss Thomas Tuchel, Kalidou Koulibaly is already bedding in and Cucurella is close to following suit.
The Brighton star was reportedly interested in joining Manchester City before Chelsea swooped in and offered £52.5million, which met the Seagulls’ asking price. Conflicting reports left fans confused on Wednesday with Brighton denying that a full agreement had been reached between the sides though a move is still expected.
Boehly is also believed to be keen on hijacking Manchester United’s move for Frenkie de Jong. The Barcelona midfielder has been linked to Old Trafford for months but could change course at the last minute due to a lack of Champions League football.
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Pulling off all three deals would see Chelsea’s summer spending skyrocket, having already spent close to £100m on Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling and teenage goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina. Another defensive signing in Fofana could also be the final nail in the coffin for Blues youngsters Levi Colwill and Ethan Ampadu.
The latter has not been given a squad number for the new season despite publicly discussing the need for regular first-team action ahead of the World Cup later this year. Meanwhile, Express Sport understands that the former is in negotiations with Brighton as all parties await the final green light from Chelsea on the finer details of the deal.
On speculation linking Fofana to moves elsewhere, Leicester boss Rodgers said: “Naturally, [Fofana] is a top talent. He’s not for sale. He still has lots of improvements to make. He’s very happy here, he really enjoys being here.
“Naturally he will attract the interest of other clubs. Our job, in not signing anyone so far, is to at least keep the players we have. I know that’s the intention of the club.”
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