Chelsea target Bundesliga defender as Fofana alternative
Karan Tejwani
- 25 Aug 2022 04:50 CDT
- 3 min read
Chelsea have identified an alternative for Leicester City’s Wesley Fofana if they are unable to get a deal over the line for the defender before the transfer deadline.
The Blues have been trying to bring Fofana for a while but have been met with Leicester resistance, even rejecting offers worth over £70 million.
As a result, confidence is reducing at Stamford Bridge, and they’ve identified others they feel could join this summer as Thomas Tuchel looks to strengthen his defence.
That comes in the form of Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba, who Chelsea will go for if they can’t get Fofana to the club in time.
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According to Sky in Germany, the possibility of getting Tapsoba was discussed internally at Chelsea and the club see him as a viable alternative for now and the future.
The 23-year-old has had a few solid years at Bayer Leverkusen, becoming a mainstay in the heart of their defence over the years and one of the Bundesliga’s highly-touted defenders.
Tapsoba has previously been of interest to other Premier League clubs such as Manchester United and Arsenal, but he has resisted interest and stayed in Germany.
Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba is top of Chelsea’s list of alternative targets to Wesley Fofana says Sky in 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/Jszuxrp00E
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 25, 2022
The Burkina Faso international joined Bayer Leverkusen in 2020 from Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes, and has proven to be a quality defender on the ball.
The saga surrounding Fofana will carry on into the final days of the window as they’ve seen three bids rejected by the Foxes, who are demanding a world-record fee for a defender.
The world record was set by Harry Maguire, who was sold to Manchester United by Leicester for an £80 million fee back in 2019.
Brendan Rodgers has dropped Fofana from the Leicester team in recent weeks, and he missed this past weekend’s match against Southampton, which they lost.
The manager confirmed Fofana will train with the club’s under-21s until at least the end of the transfer window as he isn’t in the right frame of mind.
