After missing out on Jules Kounde, Chelsea are now set to turn their attention elsewhere in the summer transfer market. The Blues are set to hold talks with the entourage of Wesley Fofana this week as they hope to lure the Leicester City defender to Stamford Bridge.
Fofana is a long-term target of Chelsea's, football.london understands, and the Blues are now considering making a big-money move for the 21-year-old. The Frenchman recently signed a two-year contract extension at the King Power Stadium with his deal now running all the way until the summer of 2027.
This means the Foxes are in a very strong position regarding the sale of Fofana, and they will not be pressured into offloading the former Saint-Etienne man. Chelsea, though, are considering testing Leicester's resolve.
READ MORE: Wesley Fofana to Chelsea transfer can help Leicester City star secure crucial 'next step'
A move wouldn't be cheap. Just look at Leicester's previous business. The club sold Harry Maguire for a world-record £80million to Manchester United in 2019 – and it is thought Leicester would demand something similar, perhaps even more, for Fofana.
If previous comments are anything to go by, however, then Fofana may be keen on moving to Stamford Bridge. In an interview with Actufoot last year, Fofana named Chelsea as one of his "dream" destinations.
"A club that makes me dream? There's Marseille, Real Madrid, Barca," Fofana said. "In the Premier League, there are Chelsea, [Manchester] United, [Manchester] City... But you have to work to make your dreams come true. Through work, you can achieve anything."
Fofana is the latest centre-back being looked at by Chelsea in what has been a chaotic summer transfer window so far. The club have brought in just two players – Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly – at the time of writing.
Thomas Tuchel will be hoping to add to that before Chelsea travel to Everton on the opening weekend of the Premier League season in just over a weeks' time. Chelsea looked as if they were close to completing a deal for Kounde at one stage, but Barcelona – for the second time this window, after doing similar with Raphinha – swooped in and stole him from the grasp of the Blues.
Chelsea also missed out on fellow defensive targets Matthijs de Ligt, who is now a Bayern Munich player, and Nathan Ake, who is set to stay at Manchester City. There are still a few centre-backs Chelsea have their eye on, including Fofana, Milan Skriniar, Presnel Kimpembe and Josko Gvardiol.
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