Chelsea consider £50m defender reunion after Fofana injury

Suraj Radia

• 19 Jul 2023 20:00 BST
• 2 min read

Chelsea have begun to assess their options after Wesley Fofana picked up another serious injury and the Blues could make a move for one of their former players in Marc Guehi.

Fofana will be out for at least six months after undergoing surgery following a ruptured ACL, with fears that he could even miss the entire season in the latest setback to his career.

The 22-year-old had a seven-month layoff in 2021 after breaking his leg playing for Leicester but Chelsea were still convinced to splash £75 million on him last summer, however he suffered a host of injuries and was limited to just 20 appearances in his debut season.

TARGET: Chelsea's 'best option' for Fofana replacement

The latest blow for Fofana has left Chelsea contemplating over signing a replacement, with Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva all having injury concerns last season, leaving youngster Levi Colwill as the only other option.

Consequently, discussions have taken place over whether to spend resources on a defender, with Guehi a likely target if a signing is to come in, having left Chelsea for Crystal Palace in 2021 for £18m.

No buy-back clause was included in the deal and Palace will likely demand £50m for the 23-year-old, who has also attracted interest from Arsenal and Tottenham in recent times.

Chelsea prioritising Caicedo over any other deals

Guehi has emerged as a standout performer for Palace since leaving Chelsea, having broken into the England setup, and the Blues are thought to retain first refusal if the Eagles do consider selling their star defender to another team.

However, with Arsenal and Spurs having other priorities in the market, Chelsea could have a free run at their academy graduate, although Mauricio Pochettino’s side are also thought to prefer to seal a deal for Moises Caicedo before making any other moves.

NO NEED: Why Chelsea DON'T need a Fofana replacement

Chelsea have had a £70m bid for Caicedo rejected by Brighton but he remains Chelsea’s top target as they look to bolster their numbers in midfield.

While the Blues will need a new defender when Thiago Silva, 38, eventually leaves, the club will decide whether their current options in defence can be enough to cover until Fofana recovers.