Chelsea have finally made a breakthrough on Wesley Fofana, with a deal for the centre-back expected to be wrapped up sooner rather than later.
The Blues are due to take on Fofana's Leicester City side this weekend, though the Frenchman won't be involved. Manager Brendan Rodgers left him out of the side to face Southampton last weekend, and confirmed he also wouldn't be taking part at Stamford Bridge.
Now, it looks like the former Saint-Etienne man - who cost the Foxes around £35m back in 2020 - will earn Rodgers' side a handsome profit with his move to London. Fofana will be the second senior centre-back signing made by the Blues this summer, after Kalidou Koulibaly's arrival from Napoli.
“He won’t be available for the weekend," Rodgers confirmed in his pre-match press conference. "He has trained with our Under-21 squad.
“For me, it’s always about the commitment and when the players are ready to commit to the ethos of the team. If they’re not in the right frame of mind, we have to move on. The window will shut and then things will become clearer.”
The former Liverpool boss had been keen on a speedy resolution, with his team struggling towards the foot of the Premier League table. And now, according to The Athletic, an agreement has been reached for a player who earlier reports suggested was valued at around £70m by the Foxes.
Are Chelsea overpaying for Fofana? Have your say in the comments section
Rodgers was quizzed on whether the current saga could be compared to the departure of Harry Maguire. England defender Maguire joined Manchester United for around £80m back in 2019, but Rodgers suggested there was a fair amount of difference between the two defenders' situations.
“No, it was totally different," the Northern Irishman said. "I was aware over the course of the summer that that could happen.
"Harry in terms of his behaviour and his focus for the club, he was fantastic right until the last minute, then he moved on. It was different. Our focus is with the team.”
After three Premier League games, Leicester sit down in 19th with just one point from three games. They have conceded eight goals across those outings, more than any other team in the competition, but kept a clean sheet against Stockport in the Carabao Cup as a much-changed team won on penalties after a goalless draw.
Chelsea, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat of the season last time out against Leeds United. Last season's third-place finishers have four points from their games and will be looking for results after learning their Champions League group stage opponents.
