Gary Lineker has admitted that he's "gutted" to see Wesley Fofana leave his beloved Leicester City, but reckons Chelsea will soon have global star on their hands.
Fofana is the subject of an agreement worth more than the £80million which Manchester United paid for Harry Maguire three years ago, making the transfer a world-record deal for a defender. In controversial circumstances, the 21-year-old has been pushing for a move to Chelsea - who Leicester coincidentally face at 3pm on Saturday - over the past fortnight. His behaviour has resulted in him being dropped from the first-team squad by manager Brendan Rodgers, who's forced him to train with the club's under-21s.
But now Fofana looks to be on his way to Stamford Bridge after the Foxes accepted Chelsea's fourth offer to sign the centre-back. And he's a highly-rated one at that, with Lineker waxing lyrical about Fofana's pedigree while reacting to Saturday morning's news.
"Gutted to lose him but wish Wesley Fofana well. Every player wants to play Champions League football so it's understandable," the Foxes legend tweeted. "Chelsea fans, you've got the most prodigiously talented young central defender in the world. Yes, I believe he's that good."
Lineker's kind words hardly make the Frenchman's departure more amicable, as Rodgers was left furious after his No.3 skipped training this week ahead of their League Cup trip to Stockport County. The Northern Irish coach was also the manager of Leicester when the club sold Maguire to United in 2019 and he damningly contrasted the two players' behaviour.
"It was totally different," Rodger affirmed on Thursday. "I was aware over the course of the summer that that could happen. Harry in terms of his behaviour and his focus for the club, he was fantastic right until the last minute, then he moved on. It was different. Our focus is with the team."
The Foxes boss has still spoken fondly about the France youth international, who he signed from St-Etienne two years ago in a deal worth up to £36.5million. "In terms of Wesley, just a young player who is not quite in the right frame of mind at the moment to play," Rodgers explained after the 2-1 loss at Southampton last Saturday.
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"A lot going on behind the scenes, which I understand. It's a difficult moment for him. He's a good kid, he's been great for us whilst he's been here and at this moment it's a difficult one for him. You can't afford that, certainly playing a Premier League game if you're not 100 per cent fully focused."
The ex- Liverpool, Celtic and Swansea City gaffer added: "He won't be available for the weekend. He has trained with our under-21 squad. For me, it's always about the commitment and when the players are ready to commit to the ethos of the team. If they're not in the right frame of mind, we have to move on. The window will shut and then things will become clearer."
