Wesley Fofana to Chelsea: How Hudson-Odoi could help transfer over the line

James Shearman

• Updated: 7 Aug 2022 09:27 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea are reportedly ready to meet Leicester City's £85 million asking price for Wesley Fofana.

The Blues set their sights on Fofana after failed attempts to sign the likes of Nathan Ake, Matthijs de Ligt and Jules Kounde.

And new owner Todd Boehly is willing to pay more than what Manchester United spent on former Leicester man Harry Maguire in an attempt to appease manager Thomas Tuchel.

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Chelsea lost both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger on free transfers earlier this summer, though Kalidou Koulibaly has already been brought in from Napoli to improve the backline.

Meanwhile, club captain Cesar Azpilicueta has put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension, and Marc Cucurella recently signed from Brighton & Hove Albion in a £57 million deal, providing cover as a left centre-back or as a wing-back.

However, Tuchel still wants more additions to the first-team squad, despite a 1-0 win against Everton in the opening match of the 2022-23 Premier League season.

And, according to reports, Chelsea are willing to match the price Leicester are asking for Fofana, which is believed to be £85m.

The Frenchman has expressed his interest in leaving Leicester to join Chelsea, but the Foxes have proven to be tricky negotiators in the past, as seen by Maguire's move to Man Utd and Ben Chilwell's transfer to Chelsea.

But the Blues could turn to youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi in order to help a deal for Fofana over the line.

How Hudson-Odoi could help Chelsea with Fofana transfer

Callum Hudson-Odoi was left out of the squad for Chelsea's trip to Everton, as has often been the case in Tuchel's time at the club.

However, the 21-year-old is no longer accepting of this, according to Sky Sports, and has informed the west London club that he wishes to leave.

Juventus and Borussia Dortmund are interested in taking a punt on the winger, while Southampton and Leicester City are his current Premier League options, reports Fabrizio Romano.

This could pave the way for Chelsea to include Hudson-Odoi in a deal with Leicester for Fofana, in the same way that Levi Colwill went to Brighton as part of the Cucurella transfer.

Leicester are yet to sign anyone in the summer transfer window, so taking Hudson-Odoi on loan could be a viable option to bolster Brendan Rodger's attacking options.

While for Chelsea, the club would get a better idea of the youngster's potential after a season of regular action in the Premier League.