Chelsea flop set for SHOCK move to Champions League side

Tom Weber

• Updated: 9 Jul 2023 20:55 BST
• 3 min read

David Datro Fofana is set to trade 12th in the Premier League for a spot in the Champions League, according to German media.

Initially reported by BILD in June, Sky Germany has now confirmed that the Ivorian striker will join Union Berlin on a season-long loan as they prepare for their first-ever campaign in the Champions League.

One of Germany's most iconic clubs, Union finished fourth in the Bundesliga last term, even leading the league at times during the first half of the campaign despite putting up some of the worst Expected Goals numbers in the entire division.

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They eventually regressed to the mean, but it was still enough to get into Europe's premier competition just four years after sealing promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time. Unsurprisingly, then, Union are looking to bolster their squad with some big hitters.

Talks with German international Robin Gosens are progressing, while Fenerbahce's Hungarian star Attila Szalai is on the verge of becoming the club's new record signing. Now, a Chelsea player is also heading to East Berlin.

Fofana's Chelsea nightmare

David Datro Fofana was part of Todd Boehly's ridiculous €600 million spending spree last term, but he barely got into the Chelsea team. A player who burst onto the scene in Norway, Fofana joined the Blues for €12m, making a paltry four appearances for the senior team.

Nevertheless, the 20-year-old remains highly rated and a move to a league like the Bundesliga could be exactly what he needs to get his career back on track.

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Union managed to turn former Liverpool man Taiwo Awoniyi into a €20.5m striker and they will be confident that head coach Urs Fischer will also be able to get the best out of Fofana.

According to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, the deal will not include an option to buy, so this is a move that can only prove beneficial to Chelsea.