Chelsea make initial contact with 23-year-old as Wesley Fofana alternative: Reports

Chelsea have identified Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba as a potential alternative for Leicester City's Wesley Fofana, according to Sky Deutschland.

Chelsea have strengthened their defense with the signing of Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli for around €40 million this summer. However, having lost both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, they are keen to add one more centre-back to their ranks.

It has been evident for a while that Leicester' Fofana is the Blues' top target to reinforce their backline. However, Thomas Tuchel's side have struggled to strike a deal with the Foxes so far.

The London giants have had three bids turned down by Leicester for the 21-year-old. Their latest offer was €83 million plus add-ons. The Foxes, though, are holding out for €95 million, according to the aforementioned source.

Chelsea, on the other hand, do not want to see Fofana leapfrog Harry Maguire, who cost Manchester United €87 million, as the most expensive defender in the world. Their pursuit of the Frenchman is thus in the balance.

Leicester's stance over Fofana has now forced the Stamford Bridge outfit to look for potential alternatives. It has now emerged that Leverkusen's Tapsoba is under consideration by them.

The Blues have already made initial contact for the 23-year-old defender, as per the report. However, they are yet to launch concrete negotiations with Leverkusen over a deal for him.

It now remains to be seen if Tuchel's side will follow up with their initial interest in Tapsoba. It is also unclear whether the Bundesliga club would be prepared to sanction a move for him this late in the window.

The Burkina Faso international has a contract with Leverkusen until the end of the 2025-26 season. The German club are thus under no pressure to sell him this summer.

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How has Chelsea target Tapsoba fared for Leverkusen?

Leverkusen signed Tapsoba from Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes for an initial sum of around €18 million in January 2020. The defender has since been a regular for the Bundesliga side, making 94 appearances across all competitions.

The 23-year-old played 22 league matches for Leverkusen last season. He found the back of the net once in the process and helped the club finish third in the table.

Taposba has started in each of Leverkusen's three Bundesliga matches so far this term, but could not prevent them from losing all. He could now possibly on his way to Stamford Bridge.