Chelsea sell star Maresca 'loves' as 'mutual interest' in transfer declared

Tom Weber

Updated: 1 May 2025 11:15 CDT
4 min read

A second source from France has confirmed that Chelsea are ready to offload Wesley Fofana this summer, with Olympique de Marseille and Saudi Arabia viewed as possible destinations.

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The Frenchman's career at Stamford Bridge has been pretty much a nightmare from start to finish. Chelsea spent an eye-watering €80 million on Fofana in 2022, but two serious knee injuries prevented him from featuring much in his first two campaigns.

Current ETV

Wesley Fofana

D (CR)

Chelsea

Wesley Fofana

D (CR)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€27.3M - €33.4M

He looked to have overcome the worst when he established himself as a reliable starter earlier in the season, prompting head coach Enzo Maresca to declare that he is 'in love' with the defender, but things quickly took a turn for the worse again.

Fofana suffered a hamstring problem in December that threatened to keep him out until the end of the season. He managed to recover ahead of schedule, but after returning to the pitch soon realised that things still weren't right.

It was ultimately decided that Fofana required surgery, prematurely ending his season after all.

Chelsea to sell Fofana

In light of his repeated injury problems, which have restricted him to just 34 appearances across three seasons, it was claimed earlier this week that Chelsea will be willing to listen to offers for the 24-year-old this summer.

Unsurprisingly, Ligue 1 giants Marseille were touted as suitors for the centre-back. Fofana, born in the city, is a boyhood fan of the club and openly admitted last year that it is his dream to play for the French side.

In fact, Marseille were already interested in Fofana last summer, but a deal ultimately proved impossible due to Maresca's desire to keep him at Chelsea.

French journalist Sebastien Vidal has now confirmed that a summer exit of Fofana is indeed possible, with there being a 'mutual interest' between Fofana and Marseille in making a deal happen.

However, the Ligue 1 side's ability to muster the necessary funds for a transfer hinges on qualification for the Champions League. Should they fail to achieve this, a move to Saudi Arabia is viewed as the most realistic scenario for Fofana.

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