Transfer News: Chelsea and Manchester United Register Interest in Wesley Fofana

According to recent reports from various outlets: Chelsea and Manchester United have both registered an interest in securing the services of Leicester City’s Wesley Fofana. The former has been linked with him since January while the latter has only recently entered the race for the defender.

Chelsea have new owners but are yet to get out of the starting blocks, having added no new names. Manchester United, on the other hand, are having trouble signing their primary targets with no Champions League football next season.

Both clubs have identified the defensive line as an area of concern and for their respective reasons; Man United were poor defensively, capping off one of their worst conceding campaigns while the Blues are about to lose several first-team defenders for different reasons.

Thankfully, after some dull days, some of Europe’s elite clubs are on the verge of being involved in bidding wars. This is basically what could happen with every player the Red Devils are in for. At the moment, they have been interested in a few defenders, most of them being center-back options.

Hence the decision for both Premier League clubs to be knocking on the door at King Power for the rising star: Wesley Fofana.

The Report Reads:

"Manchester United and Chelsea, in search of reinforcement in defense, are closely interested in Wesley Fofana, back at the highest level with Leicester.(Via: RMC Sport)"

The report also states that it would require at least €80 million to tempt the Foxes to sell their best defender that they missed for most of the 2021/22 campaign.

Manchester United’s Defense Issues

Erik ten Hag is restructuring the squad at Old Trafford. Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe are on their way out, which leaves Manchester United with only four senior central defenders. They are left with Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Victor Lindelof, and Raphael Varane in central defense.

The former Ajax manager wants to sign his former player Jurien Timber, with talks well underway. However, he too is hesitant to just sign with United because of no UCL ball.

Chelsea’s Defender Hunt Continues

Chelsea have an inexperienced defense, with only Thiago Silva being the most experienced. However, age is not on Silva’s side and Thomas Tuchel needs younger legs to help out.

The club is left with Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr after the departure of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. The Blues desperately need a CB and are in talks with Sevilla for Jules Kounde; they have been after the Frenchman since the summer of 2021.

Wesley Fofana in the English Premier League

Leicester City signed the French defender from Ligue 1 outfit, Saint Etienne, for a reported fee of €35 million in 2020. They signed Wesley Fofana after losing Harry Maguire (2019).

In his first season in the English top-flight, Fofana featured in 28 games for the Foxes. He had six clean sheets to his name in 28 appearances. He also had 3.7 clearances per 90 and 2.5 interceptions per 90 in his debut Premier League run. Following his performance that season, the player was handed a new contract that runs until 2027.

Sadly, a fibula fracture marred Fofana’s second season in England. The player missed 41 games for Leicester City and only played seven. He had 3.8 clearances per 90 and 1.8 interceptions per 90 during his short second-season stint.

Both clubs are in Europe and need a reliant central defender when they are shelling an enormous sum.

(Stats via fbref and transfermarkt)