Chelsea could be prepared to pay over £80m to sign Wesley Fofana from Leicester City this summer, The Telegraph’s Matt Law claims.
The west London giants have been the biggest spenders in the Premier League this summer, having paid over £165 million for the purchase of five players.
Their spending spree could extend over the coming weeks, and it appears Fofana is one of the top priorities.
According to Law, Leicsester are currently reluctant to sell Fofana to the Blues, but an offer in excess of £80m is likely to persuade them to do business.
Chelsea recently failed with a fresh bid of £70m for Fofana, and Law believes the Blues may well be prepared to go ‘£80m-plus’ to prise away his services.
Our view:
Chelsea have already bolstered their central defensive department with the signings of Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella from Napoli and Brighton.
While Koulibaly is a specialist central defender, Cucurella is capable of playing on the left side of the back three, having done so many times for Brighton.
Despite signing the duo, Chelsea may want another option at the heart of the defence, considering Thiago Silva is almost 38, and can’t play every game.
They need a young and robust central defender, who has barely any weaknesses. Fofana falls into that category, and Chelsea will have to pay a premium fee.
Fofana signed a new long-term deal until June 2027 in March this year, and the Foxes are in a strong position to keep him unless their demands are met.
Chelsea have shown that they have funds to spend this summer, but they will be hoping that they can reduce the final fee for Fofana by including add-ons.
Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers previously praised Fofana as a ‘phenomenal talent‘. He would prefer to keep him, but the board are unlikely to resist a significant bid.
