Fofana to Chelsea: Leicester finally accept WORLD-RECORD fee
FT Desk
- Updated: 26 Aug 2022 21:22 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea have finally reached a breakthrough in their pursuit of Wesley Fofana, who is poised to become the most expensive defender in football history.
French daily L'Equipe reports that after weeks of speculation the Blues and Leicester City have finally reached an accord over the 21-year-old centre-back.
Fofana is thus set to move to Stamford Bridge in a deal that will be worth an initial €82.5 million.
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When bonuses and other add-ons are taken into account, the fee will surpass that paid to Leicester by Manchester United for Harry Maguire in 2019 as the highest ever fixed for a defender.
Chelsea have been on the lookout for new defensive talent throughout this window, after losing both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger on free transfers following the end of the 2021-22 season.
Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly was signed early in the summer, but efforts to add a further new face proved rather more difficult for the Blues.
Their stated first choice Jules Kounde slipped through their fingers after choosing to stay in La Liga with Barcelona, which prompted the Londoners to turn their attentions towards Fofana.
Who is Wesley Fofana?
The 21-year-old enjoyed a breakout season in the Premier League in 2020-21 after moving to Leicester from Saint Etienne, making 28 appearances in the top flight and earning the Foxes' Young Player of the Season award.
His efforts to build on that encouraging start, though, were frustrated when in August 2021 he suffered a harrowing leg break during a pre-season friendly against Villarreal.
That injury kept Fofana out of action for more than seven months before finally returning to the Leicester first team the following March, marking his comeback with a goal in his side's UEFA Conference League clash with Rennes.
Fofana finished the season as an undisputed starter in the club's defence and began 2022-23 in the same vein, though he was dropped from Brendan Rodgers' match-day squad last Saturday against Southampton as transfer speculation around the youngster heightened.
