Chelsea face off against PL rivals for £68m star playing in East Midlands

Transfer News: Chelsea rival Manchester United for Leicester City star Wesley Fofana

According to the French publication RMC Sport (h/t The Express), Chelsea will battle it out with Manchester United for the services of Leicester City star Wesley Fofana in the summer transfer window. The former are desperate for defensive additions following the exodus that will take place this summer.

The Blues have deemed signing a central defender their priority for this summer to back Thomas Tuchel. As such, they have registered their interest in Fofana, who is one of the best young centre-backs in the Premier League. They are keen admirers of his talents and could actively pursue him in the next few weeks.

Man United are also in the mix, and they are trying to do their best to secure Fofana’s signature following their disastrous season. However, the East Midlands side is keen to keep hold of him and has slapped a massive price tag of £68million for his signature. He has recently extended his contract giving them complete control over his future as they look to ward off interest with this valuation.

Is Fofana to Stamford Bridge possible?

The Frenchman had suffered a damning injury blow at the start of the last season, which had forced him out on the stands for a large part of the last campaign. There were worries that he may not be up to the mark after picking up such a setback, but that seems not to be the case looking at his splendid displays.

The 21-year-old’s impact on the Foxes can be traced back to their rapid rise in the form that saw them turn things around towards the tail end of the 2021-22 season. That shows how good he has been for them since joining them only back in 2020. It is quite impressive indeed how seamlessly he adapted to the Premier League after leaving Saint-Etienne.

The Leicester ace would undoubtedly have been a solid option to bolster our defence this summer. However, the massive asking price is something that we must consider before pursuing him moving forward. After all, it may not be wise to spend such an amount on one player when we need to sign more than one central defender.

Antonio Rudiger has joined Real Madrid recently, while Andreas Christensen seems set to move to Barcelona as a free agent as well. Cesar Azpilicueta could follow Christensen to Camp Nou, whereas we also need to prepare for life after Thiago Silva, who is not getting any younger either.

Fofana would have greatly helped us in such a situation, but it may be best to spend that sum on multiple targets under the current circumstance. Not to mention, we are also unsure whether he would be willing to leave King Power Stadium, having penned a new long term deal only in March.

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As such, it would be wise to end our interest in the Foxes youngster and turn our attention towards more feasible targets. That would help us save some money to use to strengthen other positions as well ahead of the upcoming season.