Chelsea may be edging closer to securing a deal for Wesley Fofana as Leicester weigh up a loan move for Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji.
The Blues have made Fofana their priority transfer target as Todd Boehly looks to negotiate a deal for the 21-year-old defender. Thomas Tuchel is keen to add another centre-back to his squad before the transfer window slams shut after missing out on deals for Nathan Ake and Jules Kounde.
football.london understands Fofana has asked to leave the King Power Stadium after agreeing personal terms with Chelsea at the beginning of August. The French defender was left out of Brendan Rodgers' matchday squad at the weekend with reports suggesting Fofana is becoming frustrated with the Foxes' £80million valuation of the player.
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Fofana is currently training with Leicester's Development Squad having missed a training session last week as he looks to push through a move to Stamford Bridge. The Foxes are now weighing up a potential loan move for Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji as they prepare for a fourth bid from Chelsea, according to The Daily Mail.
Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has reported that Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba is on the list as a potential alternative to Fofana should the Blues fail to secure a deal to sign the 21-year-old. Leicester are believed to want £80million for Fofana, matching the record fee paid for a defender which is currently held by Manchester United captain Harry Maguire who left the King Power Stadium for Old Trafford back in 2019.
Leicester are awaiting a fourth offer from Chelsea for Fofana, expected to be much closer to the Foxes' valuation, but are more open to selling Caglar Soyuncu and Jannik Vestergaard instead. Akanji was linked with a £18million move to Leicester last season and now could finally seal his move to the Premier League with Fofana getting increasingly unsettled, which could force Rodgers' hand in selling the 21-year-old.
With under a week to go until the summer transfer window slams shut, the Blues are facing a race against time to complete all of their transfer business. Anthony Gordon is another player on Chelsea's radar, whilst a £12.6million deal for talented youngster Arsen Zakharyan is 'close' to being completed in the coming days.
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