Chelsea are readying another offer for Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana after having a £60 million bid rejected, according to reports.
The 21-year-old is the subject of interest from Chelsea this summer, as well as Manchester United, and Thomas Tuchel’s side are pressing on in a bid to sign the France international.
Fofana signed a new long-term contract back in March until 2027 and Brendan Rodgers insists the central defender is not for sale.
He said: "He’s not for sale. There is going to be interest in him, that’s the point. I had a long chat with him the other day. When you are as talented as he is there’s going to be lots of speculation, but he’s not for sale.
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"I’ve got no doubts that in future he’ll play on the highest stage but he feels good here and he’s very comfortable with his teammates.
"When we signed him from Saint-Etienne (in 2020) he had played only 26 games at senior level. Everyone had a look at him back then but he came here and flourished.
"He was happy to sign a new five-year deal in March.
"He has perhaps got an opportunity to get himself into France’s World Cup squad, which is about playing regularly, so I’m pretty calm on it. He’s very happy here."
Chelsea were preparing to test Leicester’s resolve and they did that with an opening bid of just over £60 million, as reported by L’Equipe, however that was rejected.
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Now it is being reported by Fabrizio Romano that Tuchel and co are pushing to land the defender and will make a second offer in the hope of tempting Leicester to part ways with Fofana.
Leicester are believed to value Fofana at around £80 million, and despite their insistence that their prized-asset is not for sale this summer, Chelsea will continue to raise the stakes in an attempt to lure him to the capital.
Chelsea are on the verge of adding their second defender to the defensive line this summer after the arrival of Kalidou Koulibaly.
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An agreement is in place over a fee in excess of £50 million for Brighton defender Marc Cucurella, which will see Levi Colwill head the other way down the south coast as part of the deal.
Brighton released a club statement on Wednesday evening insisting a deal hadn’t been agreed.
“Contrary to inaccurate reports from numerous media outlets this evening, no agreement has been reached with any club to sell Marc Cucurella.”
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Whether Chelsea will be successful in their attempts to sign Fofana remains unclear with just under a month until the summer transfer window closes, but they are certainly doing everything they can.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Wesley Fofana, Chelsea, Leicester City, Premier League, Football, Thomas Tuchel, Brendan Rodgers
