Leicester City reject Chelsea’s £70m bid for Fofana

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By Martin Graham | 24th Aug 2022

Chelsea have seen their third offer of £70m for defender Wesley Fofana rejected by the Foxes. Leicester City are believed to value the 21-year-old defender at over £80m.

Chelsea’s desperation to land Wesley Fofana seems to have reached fever pitch. The Blues have been on the tail of the young Leicester City defender but have yet to convince his club to let him go.

Following the free transfer exits of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, the Blues are keen to replace both players. The West London club signed Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly this summer, but the west London club wants to add another defender to their ranks. Thomas Tuchel wants to add depth to his defence.

The Blues have made Wesley Fofana a priority signing this summer, but it has not gone to script for the two-time Champions League winners. The Foxes are not ready to part with the Frenchman and will need convincing to let Fofana go. Chelsea have seen another bid for the Leicester City defender fail as the Foxes hold out for more money.

Leicester City insist on Fofana value

Chelsea have made concerted efforts to land Fofana, but Leicester City have continued to play hardball with the defender. The club has seen two initial bids rejected, but despite an improved offer, the Foxes refused to accept.

The second offer by Chelsea was close to the £65m mark, but it did not satisfy Leicester City. The Telegraph reports the Foxes rejected an improved offer of £70 million plus add-ons. Leicester City value Fofana at a figure over £80m. The current world record fee for a defender is £80m, held by the ineffectual Harry Maguire. Maguire was sold to Manchester United by Leicester City.

Chelsea hope to convince the Foxes to accept a figure less than their asking price, but Leicester City are not keen to sell and have maintained their stand that only a world record bid could make them shift position on the 21-year-old defender.

Woeful start for Leicester City this season

The Foxes have started the season on a dour note as several clubs have shown interest in a couple of their players.

Leicester City lost the second game of the season at the weekend. The Foxes were beaten 2-1 by Southampton, but Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers left Fofana and Youri Tielemans out of the squad. Rodgers confirmed that the two players were left out because they were not in the right frame of mind. Both players have been the subject of transfers away from the club.

While Fofana was out of the squad, Tielemans could only earn a spot on the bench.

The Frenchman has agreed to terms with Chelsea and are ready to press on with the deal. It remains to be seen whether Chelsea can meet Leicester’s asking price.

Rodgers wants to keep Fofana at the King Power stadium for another year. He believes it would serve Fofana well and help his development. The youngster signed a new five-year contract in March 2022.