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Director confirms plan to sign €80m Chelsea star
Tom Weber
- Updated: 3 Dec 2025 18:10 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Marseille sporting director Mehdi Benatia has confirmed that he attempted to sign Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana in the summer.
The France international has endured a difficult time at Stamford Bridge since completing an €80 million move from Leicester in 2022. Fofana has spent more time on the treatment table than on the pitch, forcing the Blues to carefully manage his minutes.
The 24-year-old started Enzo Maresca's first season at Chelsea in promising fashion, but a hamstring injury that turned out to be worse than initially thought ended his campaign prematurely in the winter.
Current ETV
Wesley Fofana
D (CR)
Chelsea
Wesley Fofana
D (CR)
Chelsea
ETV Range
€24.7M - €30.2M
So far this term, Fofana has managed to avoid another serious injury, but he did miss a few games with a concussion earlier in the season. Due to his injury history, the Frenchman has rotated in and out of the side and has not yet had a consistent run of consecutive games.
In addition to his fitness problems, Fofana has made negative headlines for persistent speeding violations and is currently serving a two-year driving ban after a whopping nine offences.
Marseille keen on Fofana
Primarily due to his injury problems, Fofana's future at Chelsea has been called into question. However, so far, Maresca has shown unwavering faith in the defender.
In 2024, it was revealed that Ligue 1 side Marseille made a summer approach to sign Fofana, which the player admitted was a tempting opportunity due to his emotional connection to the club. The 24-year-old was born in Marseille and is a boyhood OM supporter.
Fofana, who has never played for OM as he came through at Saint-Etienne, has made no secret of his desire to one day play for his hometown club. According to Marseille's sporting director Mehdi Benatia, the defender once again had the chance to fulfil his dream this summer.
Speaking on After Foot, Benatia revealed that he attempted to sign Fofana for the second year running during the previous window. “I tried Fofana from Chelsea, too," he explained. "I said, ‘He has had quite a few injuries, will the Marseille context, his home, could it suit him?'”
However, his approach was once again rebuffed, as was his attempt to sign Man City legend Kevin de Bruyne. Benatia admitted that he was late to the party and that the Belgian had already committed to joining Napoli.
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