Chelsea are showing keen interest in signing Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana in the summer transfer window but face competition from Liverpool, as per The Daily Mail.
The Blues are looking to bolster their midfield this summer and the 24-year-old Frenchman is emerging as a target. He played in the World Cup in Qatar and has been tracked by Premier League rivals Liverpool as well.
Fofana’s growth to becoming a star player is awe-inspiring. He used to deliver pizza to make ends meet after he was dropped by France’s national academy in Clairefontaine as a 15-year-old.
The Daily Mail claims that Chelsea know Fofana well, thanks to their co-sporting director Laurence Stuart, who joined the Blues from Monaco last year.
The holding midfielder has made 42 appearances, scoring twice and providing one assist this season. He is not the finished product yet but has the potential to grow into a top-quality midfielder in the future.
Fofana will enter the final year of his deal at Monaco in the summer, and as per transfermarket, he is valued at around £22m.
Interesting choice
The summer transfer window is going to be massive for Chelsea after a disappointing season. They need to sell a lot of players to balance the books.
The likes of Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic are being targeted by top clubs like Liverpool and Bayern Munich respectively, while the club could offload Hakim Ziyech, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek as well.
If they can create room for fresh additions, a move for Fofana makes a lot of sense, however, they’ll face stiff competition from Liverpool.
The Reds are in the market to sign two midfielders, and they have a long list of targets. The likes of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner are certain to depart, and the club need fresh talents to replace them.
Liverpool missed out on Jude Bellingham but they are checking on other options and it appears they are ready to battle Chelsea over a deal for Fofana if he opts to come to England.
