Leicester City reject £60 million Chelsea bid for Wesley Fofana

Chelsea reportedly made a £60 million offer for Wesley Fofana, but Leicester City reportedly declined the deal because they were seeking £80 million for the French defender.

Nathan Gissing claims that Leicester City has turned down a £60 million offer from Chelsea. The Foxes are asking for £80 million for the French defender, but the Blues are hoping to persuade them to settle for £70 million.

When it became clear that none of Chelsea's other goals could be attained during this window, they turned their attention last week to Wesley Fofana. Prior to the start of the season, the Blues started looking for the Leicester City defence because they needed to find a trustworthy defender quickly.

The absence of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen was largely filled by Kalidou Koulibaly's entry. Nathan Ake was Chelsea's top target to bolster the centre defensive unit, but the Dutchman ultimately chose to remain at Manchester City.

While other players were taken into consideration, Marc Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion is supposedly on the verge of joining Chelsea. The Spaniard is anticipated to join soon, despite the Seagulls rejecting rumours that they have completed a deal with Chelsea. The west London team is still interested in Fofana, though.

The challenging part is persuading Leicester to accept the final sum after Chelsea and Fofana have already agreed on personal terms. According to reports, the Foxes have turned down a substantial offer of £60 million from the Blues and are still seeking at least £80 million for the French defender.

Chelsea won't go beyond that amount, but with a better offer, they might contemplate going over £70 million. It will be interesting to see if they try to challenge Leicester's resolve right away.

After suffering a serious injury during a preseason friendly last summer, Fofana played a minimal role for Leicester last season. Late in the 2021/22 season, he recovered to support the Foxes' performance in their UEFA Europa Conference League campaign. After that injury, many people have questioned his long-term fitness, though.

The 21-year-old is expected to have a promising future, therefore Leicester City will be aiming to sell him for a healthy profit. They will be eager to hold out for a sizable £80 million price from Chelsea, especially given the fact that they have always been steadfast in their assessments of the value of their players.

If Chelsea and Leicester are unable to reach a deal for Fofana, Leicester may instead concentrate on other prospects. Josko Gvardiol of RB Leipzig is one player Chelsea are considering, while more names may appear on their list if needed.