Gary Lineker has urged Wesley Fofana to stay at Leicester for at least one more season as Chelsea ramp up their efforts to prise him from the East Midlands.
Thomas Tuchel's side are hoping to sign the 21-year-old centre-back and have already seen bids of £60million and £65m rejected as they seek to bolster their options in central defence. Personal terms between the Blues and Fofana were reportedly agreed last week, with the defender supposedly unsettled by Chelsea's interest.
Although Fofana only agreed a new five-year Leicester deal back in March, he is keen to move to Stamford Bridge, where he can expect a much improved deal worth around £200,000 per week. Despite Leicester's reluctance to sell, boss Brendan Rodgers admitted last week that any approach for his player will be considered.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, Fofana has continued to feature for Leicester at the start of this season. He played 90 minutes in the Foxes' opening-weekend 2-2 draw at home against Brentford and the 4-2 defeat by Arsenal on Saturday, during which he was booked.
Lineker has delivered his verdict on the transfer saga and believes Fofana will receive even more offers from "monster clubs" if he stays until next summer and performs well. He wrote on Twitter : "Fear the worst but hope he finds it within himself to give @LCFC one more season. Signed a new long contract when badly injured. Another year and all the monster clubs will want you @Wesley_Fofanaa."
Fofana won the club's Young Player of the Year award during his first season at the King Power Stadium after helping the Foxes win the FA Cup and earn a fifth-place finish in the Premier League. However, the Frenchman suffered a leg break on the eve of the 2021/22 campaign.
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The injury kept him out until March of this year, before he made his return in the Europa Conference League against Rennes, where he scored a dramatic second-half leveller. Fofana went on to impress during the back end of the season and Rodgers has heaped praise on the player despite being his links with Chelsea.
Rodgers said last week: "The point to reiterate is that we are not looking to sell Wesley. He is not a player we are actively looking to sell but naturally if there is interest from other clubs, that is looked at by the club. He is a top young defender. There are not too many about at his age. He is someone we would love to keep here but we will have to see what develops.
"Another year here for him at least would be really important for his development, but he is quite calm and relaxed in the situation. He is aware of the interest. He understands where we are as a club and where we see him. He’s just getting on with his work and training well, and whenever there is any communication we are able to have a conversation."
