According to Footmercato, Leicester City are preparing to rival clubs with an £18 million bid for reported Everton and Arsenal target Wesley Fofana.
The talented central defender has been heavily linked with an exit from St. Etienne.
Fofana’s latest superb performance in the slim 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the French Cup final will only raise interest in signing him this summer.
A report by Butfootballclub earlier this month claimed Everton and Arsenal are keen.
But the latest reports from France suggest Leicester are now pushing hardest for his signature.
Footmercato claim the Foxes are preparing an offer of £18 million, while Serie A giants AC Milan saw their own bid of around £15 million turned down.
Leicester head into the final day of the season looking to cement a top four spot.
But regardless of what happens, Leicester’s recent form shows there is room for improvement and a long-term replacement for Jonny Evans must be a top priority.
Former Leicester manager Claude Paul is a big fan of Fofana, telling the Ligue 1’s official website, “Wesley has enormous potential with the state of mind of a competitor.”
The central defender made a total of 24 appearances in all competitions for the club this season, averaging 2.6 interceptions and 3.7 clearances per game (Whoscored).
Both Arsenal and Everton will also be keen to strengthen their defences this summer.
The Toffees have struggled with Michael Keane and Yerry Mina inconsistent. The Gunners, meanwhile, have both David Luiz and Sokratis in their thirties.
Fofana, 19, represents a long-term option with a potentially huge re-sale value.
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