It was only three years ago that Manchester United paid Leicester City £80million to sign centre-back Harry Maguire.
It was a figure that caused some disbelief, with rival supporters suggesting the Red Devils had been ripped off. But the reality is that a valuable defender at any club could easily cost north of £50million in the current market.
Of course, contract lengths and age could alter these prices as demonstrated by Chelsea's summer move for Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly. A transfer which cost in the region of £34million for 31-year-old.
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Unfortunately, the Blues have suffered multiple setbacks in their defensive search, including most recently with Sevilla's Jules Kounde who is set for Barcelona will have to pay a top price as the season edges even more closer. No wonder the likes of The Daily Mail and others have quoted a fee of up to £85million for Wesley Fofana, who is deemed as not for sale by the East Midlands outfit.
Is the Frenchman, who missed a large chunk of 2021/22 due to a bad injury, really worth that type of money? Judging by his current market value, the answer to that question is no despite the Van Dijk comparisons. According to Transfermarkt, having signed. two-year contract extension back in March which takes his deal till 2027, they have priced the 21-year-old at £34million.
Meanwhile, the CIES Football Observatory has priced Fofana slightly lower at a value of up to €30million (£25million). Of course, the Foxes are in a strong negotiating position with the defender's current contract running until 2027. Having shown they are no pushovers with the deal to take Maguire to Old Trafford, Leicester are unlikely to sell the defender unless he attracts a fee worth well over double that value.
football.london understands that Boehly opened talks with the Leicester No.3's representatives on Wednesday with an opening bid offer currently being considered.
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