Chelsea have reportedly made a move for Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana as speculation continues to mount over the future of Blues contract rebel Antonio Rudiger
Chelsea have reportedly made a move for Leicester defender
Wesley Fofana after suffering a setback in their attempts to tie down Antonio
Rudiger.
The Blues are desperate to convince the
German defender to ink a new deal, with Rudiger now in the final few months of
his current agreement.
Rudiger has evolved into a key player and one of the best
defenders in the Premier League under the tutelage of Thomas Tuchel.
But he has offered no guarantees over agreeing to a new deal
at Stamford Bridge; leaving the Blues to start drawing up contingency plans.
According to Foot Mercato, Chelsea have
earmarked Fofana as a potential replacement for Rudiger.
Have Your Say! Would Wesley Fofana be
a good replacement for Antonio Rudiger? Let us know in the comments
Chelsea are keeping tabs on Leicester
defender Wesley Fofana as a potential replacement for contract rebel Antonio
Rudiger
The report states that the Blues were interested in Fofana last
year before injury curtailed his impressive debut campaign with the Foxes.
But Chelsea now look set to revive that interest as the
uncertainty over Rudiger’s future looks set to rumble on well into the New
Year.
Manchester United are also keeping an eye on the 20-year-old, who
is closing in on a return to action after suffering a fractured fibula and
ankle ligament damage following an awful tackle in a pre-season clash with
Villarreal.
Fofana adjusted to life in the Premier League with ease following
his £30million switch from Saint Etienne, with the France U21 international
putting in a commanding display in the FA Cup final back in May as
Leicester edged out Chelsea.
It’s likely the Blues will have to pay a handsome price if they
are to lure Fofana to London, with the youngster contracted until 2025; meaning
the Foxes are likely to demand a sum in excess of the £80m they received when
Harry Maguire joined United back in 2019.
Although the Blues have seemingly started planning for life
without Rudiger, there remains a chance he could elect to stay at Stamford
Bridge.
Rudiger is in the final 12 months of
his deal and is reportedly being courted by a host of top clubs around Europe
Reports in recent weeks have credited sides such as Barcelona and
Real Madrid with an interest in the 28-year-old.
Bayern Munich are the most recent side to join the cue for
Rudiger, with BILD reporting that Bayern are hoping to entice the Blues
defender with a whopping £200,000-a-week contract offer.
Rudiger has been extremely reluctant to publicly comment on his
future and has tried to downplay any talk of a potential exit from the Premier
League.
What should Chelsea do in January? Have your
say below
But the defender is free to start negotiating with clubs outside
of England from January – and the coveted defender would be able to walk away
from Chelsea for nothing just
“For now I am only concentrating on what is happening right now,”
he told reporters earlier this week. “I owe that to the club, the coach and the
team.
“I’m currently only focused on Chelsea. We’ll see what happens.
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