Leicester City have rejected a £70 million including add-ons bid from Chelsea for Wesley Fofana, according to reports.
The 21–year-old is keen on a move to Stamford Bridge this summer but Leicester have already rebuffed two bids for the France international.
Fofana was left out of their squad to face Southampton last weekend after Brendan Rodgers declared the defender was not in the ‘right frame of mind’ to play.
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Chelsea have stepped up their interest in Fofana by making a third offer in the region of £70 million including add-ons, as per multiple reports, however it was rejected instantly.
David Ornstein of The Athletic reports it’s believed Chelsea are currently unwilling to go higher than the offer which was rejected.
With Fofana wanting to leave, Leicester now have a decision on their hands: keep a player who wants to leave or allow the Frenchman to make his dream transfer.
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“I mentioned in the week about coming into a Premier League game and maybe one or two players not being in the right frame of mind, you can’t carry them and certainly we can’t,” Rodgers told NBC, as quoted by The Athletic, at the weekend.
“So that’s the reason for the change.”
As per Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports, the offer was £60 million up front, with £10 million in add-ons which were claimed to be 'ambitious'.
Rodgers’ stance has softened in recent weeks but he insisted he would only be sold if the valuation was met and the transfer was a win-win for all parties involved.
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He knows players can miss out on dream transfers, saying: “It all depends on the player. You can’t always say for definite how it’s going to be. For some players when the window shuts it’s a good moment because they can totally focus on playing again and getting on with their careers. Some players may feel they have lost the opportunity of a dream. They may just never be the same, so that’s always the danger.
“It certainly wasn’t right for him to play (on Saturday) after everything over the course of the week, so we have a look at it and we’ll see where we’re at for next week.
“He has been in the club. He has missed a training session, but he’s been back in. He’s a young guy who’s very well liked within the squad and of course we brought him here because he was a huge talent. The club have invested in him and in his time here he’s been absolutely brilliant.
“But you have to set a standard of behaviour and if it’s not quite right and your focus isn’t right, that only hurts your team-mates. I will always make that decision. If something’s not right – no matter who the player is – he has to come out for the greater good of the team and the club. So we’ll see how it goes forward.”
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He added: “The reality for a club like ours is you can’t be afraid to do that (sell) as long as it’s good business for the club, and if it’s good for the player it’s normally a win-win situation. But that decision then will be ultimately down to the feeling of the club.
“But that’s the huge challenge. If you do it last minute, then you’re really in danger. Already our squad is weaker than last season. We don’t have Ademola Lookman here and he was fantastic for us. You look at Ricardo Pereira not here.
“So as time goes on of course if you lose one of your best players and you can’t replace them with the quality, then it doesn’t make sense."
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Wesley Fofana, Chelsea, Leicester City, Premier League
