Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has been hard at work this week—well, more busy than usual. The Blues’ new front man is looking to make major changes to Thomas Tuchel’s squad in the week leading up to the 2022/23 Premier League campaign. While it may seem late considering Chelsea kicks off from Goodison Park in less than five days, there is still almost an entire month left of the transfer window. There is a lot of time left for improvement, so the Blues are seemingly exploring all avenues before it’s too late.
One of the individuals who has caught the eye of the club is Leicester City centerback Wesley Fofana. Fofana has been linked to Chelsea for a few weeks now, but nothing concrete has developed due to the Foxes’ manager, Brendan Rodgers, insisting the defender is not for sale. Leicester City has reportedly slapped an £80 million price tag on his head in hopes it’ll deter the Blues. However, when Boehly and Tuchel want something, money doesn’t seem to be an issue. As weeks go by and the links remain, there is a growing possibility that this move could happen.
Chelsea target Wesley Fofana drops massive transfer hint to Leicester City
While the Foxes’ stance remains unchanged in public, it seems as if the defender has been doing his part behind closed doors. Fofana dropped a major transfer hint on Tuesday morning when he changed his social media (Instagram and Twitter) bios. This may sound silly, but the message behind the edits is significant. The spaces that used to read “Professional Player at Leicester City” now just say “Professional Player.”
The Frenchman is either doing his part to move the needle from inside or he’s playing a sick joke on the Blues. This saga now seemingly only ends one of two ways: Fofana gets his big money move to Chelsea or the club is humiliated yet again by a transfer in the public eye. The Blues have already been gazumped by Barcelona on two separate occasions for Raphinha and Jules Kounde, so a centerhalf playing games with them would not exactly sit well with supporters.
Fortunately for Chelsea, these moves have always gone their way in the past. The Foxes have reluctantly sold N’Golo Kante, Danny Drinkwater and Ben Chilwell to the Blues over the last decade. Fofana could soon be the latest big money mover to join that intriguing list of promising players to move to west London.
Chelsea has held an interest in the player ever since he broke onto the Premier League stage a few seasons ago as a staple in Rodgers’ defense. A severe leg injury put the pursuit on pause, and Fofana’s signing of a new contract complicated things significantly. Nevertheless, after missing out on a plethora of other defensive targets, the Blues are dead-set on making a splash before the window slams shut. Adding a promising 21-year-old to an aging back line filled with experienced veterans would be the perfect move to set them up for the future and please the fans.
It’s been said that Fofana is excited at the possibility of the move, so these latest actions could finally get the two clubs to the negotiating table. Leicester City has struggled to sell players elsewhere with Youri Tielemans not attracting the interest that the Foxes believed he would. Further, they seem unwilling to move on from James Maddison. Fofana could end up being the one to go as his high profile transfer would help Leicester City fund a few incoming deals. Even though Rodgers does not want to let him depart, everyone involved with the deal could come out a winner if Chelsea was to meet the Foxes around their asking price.
Do you think Fofana will make the move to SW6 before the end of the transfer window? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!