Chelsea willing to pay world-record £85m to sign Leicester's Wesley Fofana
Cameron Smith
- 5 Aug 2022 07:00 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea are reportedly ready to meet Leicester City's £85 million asking price for Wesley Fofana in order to ensure a deal goes through.
The Blues have set their sights on the Frenchman after failed attempts to sign the likes of Nathan Ake, Matthijs de Ligt and Jules Kounde, and are willing to pay more than what Manchester United spent on Harry Maguire back in 2019.
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Thomas Tuchel's side lost Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger on free transfers earlier this summer, and have signed Kalidou Koulibaly in an attempt to fill the holes in their backline.
Club captain Cesar Azpilicueta has put pen to paper on a new two-year deal to keep him at the club until 2024, and Marc Cucurella is close to signing from Brighton & Hove Albion.
However, Tuchel still wants more summer signings as he believes his squad isn't yet good enough to compete, as highlighted by the 4-0 defeat to Arsenal in pre-season.
The Sun have now reported that Chelsea are willing to match the price Leicester are asking for Fofana, which is believed to be £85m. The defender has expressed his interest in leaving Leicester to join Chelsea, but the Foxes have proven to be tricky negotiators in the past, as seen by Maguire's move to Man Utd, Ben Chilwell's transfer to Chelsea, and Newcastle pursuit of James Maddison this summer.
World-record fee
If Chelsea are to pay £85m for Fofana, he would become Leicester's biggest ever sale and the most expensive defender in the world. Those titles both currently belong to the aforementioned Maguire.
The Sun have reported that while Chelsea are willing to pay what Leicester have demanded, they may test their luck with a reduced offer to see if Brendan Rodgers' side accept.
So far this summer, Leicester are yet to sign any new players, and have seen both Eldin Jakupovic and Kasper Schmeichel both leave the club. It has emerged that Leicester must sell if they are to make any new additions this summer, so Chelsea believe that they may find luck in a reduced bid as the Foxes need to funds.
