Chelsea are looking to strengthen their defence by bringing in young centre-back Wesley Fofana. The Blues wants to sign the Leicester City star as a replacement for Antonio Rudiger, who could leave the club at the end of the season.
This is according to reports from Goal.com. The European champions are in contract negotiation with two of their centre-backs, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. However, Chelsea considers Fofana as an ideal addition to their backline.
The report also suggests that Chelsea will only consider a move for Fofana in the summer. The Blues wants to monitor the recovery of the 20-year-old, who has been out for some time due to a Fibula fracture.
CONTRACT CRISIS AT CHELSEA?
Chelsea currently are in a tricky situation with the contract of two of their main centre-backs. Both Rudiger and Christensen will see their contract end with the club in the summer of 2022. This means that they can start negotiating with other clubs from January.
Rudiger particularly is a worry as many top sides like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and PSG wants to sign him for free in the summer. The German is currently demanding high wages to sign a new contract, with the club not meeting his demands.
There is a growing concern in the Chelsea camp that Rudiger will leave at the end of the season for free. As for Christensen, there is a better chance for the player to sign a new deal in the coming months. All this meant that Chelsea will be looking to add more quality in their backline in the next summer.
FOFANA, ONE OF THE TARGET FOR CHELSEA
Wesley Fofana is one of the key targets for Chelsea. The club considers the 20-year-old to be one of the best players in the position for his age group. He also has impressed in his first season with Leicester City after his move from Saint-Etienne.
Injury to the France U21 has kept him out of the game this season. Though there is no return date, he is expected to be back in action after a month or two. Chelsea are hoping to monitor how he recovers from his injury and will make a decision accordingly.
Fofana is one of the choices for Chelsea as they are also monitoring other centre-backs. Chelsea was previously linked with Jules Kounde of Sevilla but was rejected by the club this summer. They could reignite their interest in the French defender if Rudiger and Christensen are to leave, but would have to meet his release clause.
Another transfer target for Chelsea at the back is Matthijs de Ligt of Juventus. The Italian side is looking to sell the Dutch defender for the right price in order to take his huge salary off their wage bill. This could prompt the Blues to bring the former Ajax captain to their team.
It is still too early to predict who Chelsea will be signing. All their transfer activity will also depend on whether they can renew the contract of Rudiger and Christensen. But if not, Fofana looks like the prime candidate, with his Premier League experience being an important factor.
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