Chelsea have been handed a major blow in their mission to sign Wesley Fofana as Thomas Tuchel looks to compensate for the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. The 21-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge this summer, but this window is due to slam shut at the end of the month.
According to The Telegraph, Leicester City have rejected a third bid from the Blues for the defender. The report states that the west Londoners' offer is thought to be in the region of £70million, including add-ons.
It's said that Brendan Rodgers is currently deciding whether Fofana will be available to face Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, having been dropped for the Foxes' clash with Southampton. Speaking to the press ahead of Leicester's meeting with the Saints, Rodgers admitted the defender was not in the right frame of mind to feature amid an increasingly uncertain future at the club.
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"Wesley Fofana out of the squad - because he wasn't in the right frame of mind to be involved today," Rodgers said. A week prior, the Foxes boss reiterated that the defender is not for sale.
"I don't think so far ahead," Rodgers said on Thursday when asked whether he thought Fofana would still be at the King Power Stadium once the summer window slams shut. "The idea is that he is very much a Leicester player. He's not for sale.
"Unless anything changes, I would expect him to be here. There's nothing new from when we last spoke. We've spoken numerous times they are private conversations. Our communication is normal.
"There's no denying it. It's always a tricky period. Your season is starting, you're trying to get focused, and you spend your summer creating this powerful collective unit, and then there is lots of speculation.
"These are young guys, and it's the first time they have experienced this for some of them. There can be disruption. The idea is to keep the group focused. The minute the window ends, it all ends."
football.london understands that the Frenchman feels as if Leicester are trying to price him out of a move by requesting a world-record fee for his services. It's believed that Fofana has already agreed personal terms over a move to west London, but the Blues have now seen three offers turned down.
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