Raheem Sterling to open the era of Todd Boley at Stamford Bridge, and three days later, Kalidou Koulibaly to confirm that this new Chelsea is no less financially and ambitiously than the old one. But after this – nothing big. In the following two weeks, the London club experienced several painful blows in the football market, especially in the intention to build a new defense.
He was first rejected by Matthijs de Ligt blinded by the interest shown by Bayern, and now Gilles Kunde has presented him with the same scenario. Chelsea has been “hunting” the French defender for more than half a year, they wanted to bring him in January, but as things stand, great efforts will be in vain.
Namely, after Sevilla rejected the first offer, Chelsea sent a second one worth 65,000,000 euros, as much as the Andalusian club allegedly demanded. In doing so, he presented the personal conditions of Kunde, but everyone is silent about Ramon Sánchez Pizjuan. There is no response from either the club or the player. At least not on Chelsea’s offer, as Kunde has reportedly already agreed to Barcelona’s offer and is waiting for Sevilla to agree with the Catalans on the amount of the compensation.
Because of this, Chelsea turned to other options. One of them, writes the Daily Mail, is Wesley Fofana, the Leicester stopper, whose arrival is reportedly rumored at Stamford Bridge. However, the operation will not be easy at all, because the “foxes” paid 35,000,000 euros for the French stopper to Saint Etienne two years ago, and his current market value is 40,000,000 euros. Moreover, in March of this year, Fofana extended his contract with Leicester until the summer of 2027, and there is no doubt that they would ask for a huge sum at the King Power Stadium to sell him after only two years.
Fofana’s debut season at Leicester could hardly have gone better as he was named the club’s best young player, but in the build-up to last season he picked up a serious injury which kept him out for over six months.
The French “L’Equipe” states that Chelsea is interested in Benoit Badiachile, the stopper of Monaco, in whom Sevilla also sees a potential replacement for Kunde, but the “Princes” for the 21-year-old stopper are asking about 50,000,000 euros.
The Blues have also been offered Thilo Kerer but have ruled out a move for him from London as Presnel Kimpembe remains one of Thomas Tuchel’s priorities and Chelsea will continue talks with Paris Saint-Germain on the subject. The eventual arrival of Kimpembe should not rule out the acquisition of another stopper, because let’s remember that the London club was without Antonio Riediger and Andreas Christensen during the summer, and could soon be without Cesar Azpilicueta.