CHELSEA could reportedly have to pay a world-record transfer fee to sign Wesley Fofana.
The Blues are plotting a swoop for the Leicester City defender after missing out on Jules Kounde.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel suffered a major transfer blow with the news that Barcelona have snatched the Sevilla star from under their noses.
They had agreed a £55million deal for the France international, 23, and hoped to finally end their year-long chase of the defender.
But Barcelona moved to usurp them – leaving Tuchel searching for an alternative.
He is desperate for reinforcements after losing both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen for nothing after both of their respective contracts expired.
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He has managed to bolster his backline after bringing in Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli but wants another to help plug the gaps left by Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen after they left for nothing last month.
As we reported yesterday, that has led to them turning to Leicester’s French U21 international Fofana.
The 21-year-old recently signed a bumper new contract with the Foxes until 2027 – which has put the Foxes in a strong bargaining position.
Manager Brendan Rodgers would be loath to lose Fofana this summer, especially with goalkeeping stalwart Kasper Schmeichel set to depart for Nice.
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He is not expected to sanction any departure unless a huge bid is received.
Now The Guardian claim that “it is understood that the club will demand at least £70m” if Chelsea come calling.
And they add that “the asking price could even be as high as £85m,” the same fee they held out for when they sold Harry Maguire for a world-record fee to Manchester United in 2019.
Fofana moved to the King Power from Saint-Etienne two years ago and has shone at the back for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
The ace helped them to FA Cup success in 2021 and continued to play a key role last term.
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