Manchester City have reportedly joined the race to sign Leicester City superstar Wesley Fofana, with Chelsea also part of the competition to land the French defender.
According to L’Equipe, the Premier League champions and PSG have both joined Chelsea in the hunt to sign Fofana, who could potentially leave the Foxes this summer as interest continues to mount for the 21-year-old centre-back, though as reported by the Athletic, a deal could be very expensive.
Leicester are demanding as much as £85m for their star defender, with Brenden Rodgers under no pressure to sell Fofana this summer, though the centre-back himself could be open to leaving the King Power Stadium to sign for a Chelsea or a City to boost his chances of making France’s FIFA World Cup squad.
Fofana has only made a handful of appearances for Les Bleus at U-21 level, and with the defender now fully fit after missing the majority of last season with a broken leg, signing for a top side like Chelsea or City could catapult the youngster’s chances of being selected by Didier Deschamps this November to travel to Qatar.
Hailed by Rodgers as an ‘absolutely colossal’ talent, Fofana won many plaudits in his first full season in the Premier League in the 2020/21 campaign, where Leicester won the FA Cup, and with City joining Chelsea in their interest to sign the 21-year-old defender, the Marseille-born player could be set for a career-defining move in the coming weeks.
Indeed, Fofana is an excellent defender and could easily become one of the best in the Premier League in the coming years, yet for City and Chelsea, Leicester’s £85m transfer fee is simply too much to be paying for the former Saint-Etienne star this summer.
City and Chelsea should wait a year before looking to sign Fofana
Whilst Chelsea’s need for a centre-back is well-known, the Blues need to ensure that they’re not getting ahead of themselves when looking to sign a second top defender this summer, and with Fofana valued at £85m at most, the Blues and City are better off waiting a year to make a move for the Leicester star.
After all, whilst both teams are two of the richest in England, £85m for a defender who has just come back from a severe injury is a risky move for any club, and even though Fofana is back to his best, Chelsea and City would be smart to wait 12 more months before moving for the French youngster, who could do with the extra year of regular Premier League football at Leicester.
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