Chelsea have been told by Leicester City chiefs that they will only be able to sign long-term target Wesley Fofana if they manage to break the world record transfer fee for a defender after Brendan Rodgers admitted finding a replacement for the star would prove a hard task.
Thomas Tuchel’s men have lost both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger on free transfers this summer after failing to agree on contract renewals with the pair, leaving them short in central defence.
With Malang Sarr and Levi Colwill both being allowed to leave the club on loan also, only Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, Cesar Azpilicueta and new signing Kalidou Koulibaly remain as their out-and-out centre-backs given that Ethan Ampadu will likely go on loan to a European side.
Deals for Jules Kounde and Matthijs de Ligt broke down earlier in the window, leaving the Blues to find Fofana as their top target from now on.
But the Daily Telegraph have reported that Leicester will only consider a sale that breaks the world transfer record for a defender – which, incidentally, remains the Foxes’ agreement to offload Harry Maguire for £78m to Manchester United – if they are to let Fofana depart the King Power Stadium.
The publication states that Fofana is a priority target for the Blues, who have already seen £50m and £60m bids rejected for him so far this window.
Fofana burst onto the scene in the east Midlands after signing from Saint-Etienne in 2020 before breaking his leg at the start of last season.
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But his return has more than proved that he is capable of mixing it at the top level, with Chelsea set to improve their efforts to land the 21-year-old.
