Chelsea star flirts with European giants AGAIN

Tom Weber

Updated: 3 Nov 2024 12:49 GMT
3 min read

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has once again expressed his affection for Olympique de Marseille.

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One of the Blues' most expensive players ever, the centre-back's time at Stamford Bridge has not gone to plan. Signed from Leicester for a whopping €80 million in 2022, repeated long-term injuries prevented the 23-year-old from featuring for Chelsea regularly prior to this season.

Now fully fit, Fofana has been almost ever-present under Enzo Maresca in the Premier League. Yet, ahead of this term, there was major uncertainty looming over the Frenchman.

There was no guarantee that he would be the same player he was at Leicester after two terrible knee injuries and whether Maresca would fancy him. Indeed, Fofana's hometown club Olympique de Marseille approached him regarding a transfer and it required a serious talk with his head coach to convince him to stay.

Fofana confirmed as much in September and he has now once again spoken about Marseille's enquiry and how excited it made him.

Fofana keen on Marseille move in the future

Though the centre-back came through the youth system of AS Saint-Etienne, Fofana was born in Marseille and grew up supporting OM. When director Mehdi Benatia made contact, the prospect of a move back home was an enticing one.

"We got a call from Mr. Benatia," Fofana told Telefoot. "And my heart went: boom boom."

"I didn’t know if I was going to be part of Chelsea’s project. But I had a talk with the coach. He told me he was counting on me this year. So I said I was very happy and I was 100% with Chelsea.”

A move to OM in the future can't be ruled out, however. “It’s true that Marseille has a place in my heart. We’ll see,” the 23-year-old said.