David Datro Fofana is finally set to leave Chelsea on Friday with Turkish outfit Goztepe agreeing a £20 million loan-to-buy deal for the Premier League misfit.
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
With the Turkish Super Lig transfer window closing in only a few hours’ time, this is the last chance for many clubs in England’s top flight to get their forgotten men out the door.
David Datro Fofana, for instance, is clearly not part of Enzo Maresca’s plans at Stamford Bridge.
The former Molde youngster has been training away from Chelsea’s first-team squad since returning to West London from a loan spell at Burnley.
Fofana appeared set for four months on the sidelines when a proposed switch to Greek outfit AEK Athens collapsed in midweek. AEK had agreed a loan-to-buy deal with Chelsea but the negotiations ran aground when they tried to change the terms of the deal in the dying stages.
Fofana will therefore hoping that lightning does not strike twice with Goztepe now entering advanced discussions.
Chelsea agree to Goztepe deal with David Datro Fofana
HITC can confirm that Goztepe are likely to sign the 21-year-old on loan.
Should he impress, the newly-promoted outfit will have the option to sign Fofana permanently for a club-record sum of £20 million. The same fee AEK Athens had agreed upon.
Chelsea will, however, retain the option to terminate Fofana’s loan in January.
Goztepe, Turkish league champions in 1950, returned to the top flight last term after earning promotion from the second tier.
Owned by Sports Republic, who also have an 80 per cent stake in Southampton, Goztepe have already brought in goalkeeper Mateusz Lis from the Saints alongside loanees Kuryu Matsuki and Juan Santos da Silva.
After struggling during a spell at Union Berlin in the Bundesliga, where Fofana failed to emulate the impact of Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi, the striker enjoyed far greater success at Burnley even if his time at Turf Moor ended in relegation.
Fofana scored four Premier League goals, including a long-range stunner against West Ham United.
“It seems like he’s growing into the season and into the team as well,” then-Burnley boss Vincent Kompany said following that 2-2 draw at the London Stadium back in March, via the Burnley Express.
“We will need performances like the performance he gave against West Ham. He was outstanding. The entire performance from Fofana was outstanding and we’ve needed it.”
Fofana is not the only Chelsea player who has caught the eye of Turkish clubs of late.
HITC reported a few weeks ago that Istanbul trio Galatasaray, Besiktas and Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce were all keen on left-back Ben Chilwell. The £50 million England international is another who is not part of Maresca’s plans.
“The situation with both of them is quite clear,” Maresca said in late-August of Chilwell and the now-Arsenal loanee Raheem Sterling, via Sky Sports’ official YouTube channel. “We have a big squad and for me it’s impossible give all of them minutes. If they are looking for minutes, probably it is better to leave.”
“With (Chilwell), I said that he’s a lovely guy. But he’s going to struggle. If you define this as brutal, it’s up to you.
“I am not working with 42 players. I’m working with 21 players. The other 15 or 20, they are training apart.”
Besiktas also attempted to sign Brazilian starlet Angelo Gabriel before his £21 million switch to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr.
“Our first choice was Angelo, but we couldn’t get him,” Besiktas’ vice-president, Huseyin Yucel, tells Sporx. “(Al-Nassr) stepped in and bought him for 25 million euros.”
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