Chelsea look set to add Wesley Fofana to their squad before the transfer deadline passes on September 1. The Blues have been in the market for new centre-backs this summer after Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left the club.
Thomas Tuchel has already added Kalidou Koulibaly to his ranks, but there has always been the expectation that another would join him at Stamford Bridge. The name most heavily linked has been Leicester City man Wesley Fofana and it now looks like a transfer will come to fruition.
Fofana was left out of the Foxes squad that took on Southampton last weekend and he will also be missing from the teamsheet when they take on, of all teams, Chelsea on Saturday afternoon. That is enough to suggest a move to the Blues will happen and football.london understands that a deal has finally been agreed between the two clubs.
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Having had three bids rejected, football.london understands Chelsea returned with a fourth bid worth a guaranteed £70million and further add-ons that would take the transfer above the £80million that Manchester United paid for Harry Maguire in 2019. Leicester accepted the offer on Friday night, with personal details between player and Chelsea to be ironed out.
That price is a long way from the £36.5million Leicester paid Saint Etienne for Fofana in 2020. And is a long way from his current market value too, surprisingly.
Fofana is just 21 years of age and has a contract at the King Power Stadium until 2027. It is easy to see why Chelsea have had to splash the cash to sign him and new owners being in charge of the club may have encouraged Leicester to push the envelope when it came to asking price.
The Foxes will almost double their money outright when it comes to selling Fofana to Chelsea and are likely to receive even more with add-ons. And Leicester are getting around £45million more than Fofana is actually worth, at least according to the CIES Football Observatory.
Fofana is valued at around €30million (£25million) by CIES who take numerous things into account when coming up with values, including contract length, age, career progression, international status and performances as well as the economic level and sporting level of the selling club. Time will tell if it is a good deal for Chelsea or if they have indeed paid over the odds.
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