Wesley Fofana’s value to Leicester City is “nowhere near” what Chelsea has offered for the defender, according to Brendan Rodgers, manager of the Foxes.
Chelsea is said to have a keen interest in Leicester’s 21-year-old central defender after missing out on Jules Kounde to Barcelona last month.
Due to a fibula fracture, Fofana played in just seven Premier League games for the Foxes the previous season; nonetheless, he excelled in 28 league games as Leicester finished fifth.
With a bid for Fofana, reports indicate Chelsea may surpass the record sum for a defender, which is presently £80 million paid by Manchester United for Harry Maguire. The Blues are said to have already had two offers rejected.
Additionally, Rodgers stated that no acceptable offer has been made while asserting that Fofana would profit from spending another season at the King Power Stadium.
Two bids were made, but they were far from what the club would have accepted, Rodgers said at a news conference on Thursday.
“We have no intention of selling. The club will naturally consider any interest from other clubs. There aren’t many players his age who can defend as well as this young star.
“For him, at least, another year in Leicester would be crucial to his growth. Wesley seems to be handling the issue well. He is conscious of the enthusiasm. He is simply moving forward with his work.
If you don’t control it, the entire group may be impacted. You must maintain focus on the task at hand. However, everyone is focused on performing at their peak for Leicester City in games.
When Leicester drew 2-2 with Brentford last Sunday to open their Premier League season, Fofana made his league debut as one of a three-man defence.
While all is going on, Leicester, the only Premier League team without a senior signing in the transfer window, has permitted veteran goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to join Nice.
In order to rebalance their team, Rodgers also acknowledges that the club must sell in order to buy. He said as much on the BBC’s Kammy and Ben’s Proper Football Podcast: “Now the expectation is so great that seventh doesn’t seem where we should be.
“We’ll keep trying, but we don’t have the means. We’ll be attempting to balance the books during this season.
“You can observe that the majority of large teams go out and make significant new purchases. We have attempted to balance our books but have not been successful.
“I’m focusing on the players that we have. Players are evolving and getting better, so we’ll see how far up the leaderboard we can advance. We won’t set any goals at this time; instead, we’ll just enjoy the experience and see where it leads.”
