Chelsea is considering a move for Leicester defender Wesley Fofana as they look for a second center back.
With Jules Kounde increasingly likely to join Barcelona, the Blues are considering testing Leicester’s determination to keep their outstanding young center back.
After losing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen this summer, Fofana has emerged as one of the latest names in Chelsea’s sights in their effort to strengthen their defense.
They signed Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli for £34 million but have struggled to find a second defender.
Bayern Munich were unsuccessful in their attempts to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus and Nathan Ake from Manchester City.
Chelsea is also interested in Paris Saint-Presnel Germain’s Kimpembe and Inter’s Milan Skriniar. Josko Gvardiol of RB Leipzig is another, but the Germans are determined to keep him.
Fofana joined Leicester in 2020 in a £36.5 million move and had a fantastic debut season, winning the Foxes’ young player of the year award. He shattered his leg in a pre-season friendly a year ago, but he returned to action in March and played 12 games in the final stages of the season.
In March, he agreed to a new five-year contract extension until 2027, putting Leicester in a strong negotiation position.
Meanwhile, Chelsea will contemplate letting Timo Werner go this window but will want to sign a new striker first, with Newcastle among the clubs keeping a close eye on the German’s situation.
Werner’s future at Chelsea is uncertain, and he spoke openly his wish to play more, particularly ahead of this year’s World Cup, during the club’s pre-season tour of America.
This summer, Juventus and his former club RB Leipzig have both expressed interest in signing the 26-year-old. Werner’s chances of a loan or permanent move will rest on if Chelsea strengthens their own forward line further with the £47.5 million acquisition of Raheem Sterling.
That remains one of their top priorities for the remainder of the transfer window, along with bringing in at least one more center back and another right back option.