Chelsea face race against time to offload €18m star

Robin Bairner

Updated: 2 Sept 2024 11:20 BST
2 min read

Chelsea still have issues that can be solved in their squad, despite the Premier League transfer window having closed on Friday.

Article continues under the video

The Blues are still working to reduce the number of players in their squad and there are several markets in which the transfer window remains open.

While Saudi Arabia is prominent among these – Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard has been subject to a big-money bid from Al-Ittihad while there are rumours linking numerous players to the Pro League – Chelsea are working to push one of their stars to Greece.

According to BBC Sport, AEK Athens is a potential destination for striker David Datro Fofana.

The 21-year-old was signed in January 2023 from Molde for a fee of €12 million and had loan spells at Union Berlin and Burnley last term without particularly impressing at either destination.

Although Chelsea failed in their bid to land Victor Osimhen as an additional No.9 to support Nicolas Jackson at centre-forward, Fofana, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of around €18m, is set to be loaned away again.

Fofana set to depart again

The Blues are clearly keen to push the forward to Greece, with AEK Athens sporting director Panagiotis Kone invited to watch Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.

Jackson scored in that encounter and was one of Chelsea’s more impressive players as they moved to four points after three matches, having beaten Wolves but lost on the opening day to Manchester City.

Current ETV

David Datro Fofana

F (C)

Chelsea

David Datro Fofana

F (C)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€13.7M - €22.9M

Next up for the Blues after the international break is a trip to Bournemouth followed by a short journey to face West Ham, with these league encounters sandwiching an EFL Cup clash against Barrow in which fringe players will surely get the opportunity to impress.

Fofana is likely to have departed the club by that point, with AEK Athens no doubt eager to get a deal over the line before 11 September, which is the date of the Greek transfer deadline.