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As per journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is a "big fan" of Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana. The German manager has also been in direct contact with him since last season as the Blues look to sign him this summer.
As per The Guardian (via GiveMeSport), the young defender's estimated cost for a potential signing is being pegged at £85 million.
Tuchel put the 21-year-old France international on the priority list before the summer transfer window closes alongside their primary target Josko Gvardiol.
However, cracking a deal to get him out of the King Power Stadium would be a challenging task for the Italian manager.
Speaking exclusively to GiveMeSport, Phillips revealed Tuchel's admiration for Wesley Fofana. He said:
“I do know that Tuchel is a big fan of Fofana. He spoke to him, I think, at the end of one of the games that Chelsea played against Leicester last season. Obviously, I don’t know what was said, but I do know that Tuchel has always been a big fan of Fofana.''
He added:
“In terms of priorities, Josko Gvardiol is just ahead of Fofana in terms of what Tuchel would choose if he had the choice of both of them. But yeah, I mean, Fofana is high up on the list as well.”
Fofana joined Leicester City in 2020 on a five-year deal worth £36.5 million from Saint-Etienne, after being at the French club for three years.
Since joining the Foxes, he has played 50 matches across all competitions. He also won Leicester's Young Player of the Year award in 2021.
Tuchel is looking to bring in more players to strengthen his defensive setup at Stamford Bridge before the new season begins.
Chelsea have already signed Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli for £33 million after losing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen this summer.
Chelsea target Marc Cucurella's past quotes emerge expressing his desire to join Barcelona in future
Chelsea's reported target Marc Cucurella has said that not playing at Camp Nou still hurts him despite staying at the club for a short period of time.
The 24-year-old defender added that he wishes to complete his Barcelona dream before he retires from professional football. He said in 2021 (via Football Espana):
“In the end, I was at Barcelona for many years and I can say it’s my home as well as my family’s home and my wife’s home, as she’s also from Barcelona,” Cucurella said. “It’s a thorn in my side that I made my first team debut but I never played at Camp Nou. I think that’s something I’d like to do before I retire.”
As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Spaniard is close to joining the west London club this summer.
Chelsea and Barcelona have found themselves locked in serious battles over their potential targets this summer.
The Blaugrana have already signed former Blues defender Andreas Christensen on a free transfer. They are also interested in signing Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso (via Football365).
Moreover, Thomas Tuchel's side were interested in signing Raphinha and Jules Kounde but both players ended up moving to Barcelona.
Chelsea will hope that the same doesn't happen with Cucurella.
