Brendan Rodgers says Wesley Fofana training with U23s as Chelsea saga continues

Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that defender Wesley Fofana has been training with the Under-23 side as a potential Chelsea transfer remains unconcluded.

The Frenchman has been highly coveted by the Blues this summer. They are searching for a replacement for Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, who both left the club on free transfers this summer.

They have partially filled that gap with the signing of Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli. However, Thomas Tuchel clearly wants another centre-back. Therefore, Chelsea are pushing to sign Fofana.

According to Sky Sports, Leicester rejected a third bid from Chelsea for the 21-year-old. It is claimed that the Blues bid a £60 million initial fee, as well as a further £10m in add-ons.

Fofana was left out of the Foxes squad to face Southampton on Saturday. Rodgers claimed his mind was not in the right place.

Rodgers confirms Leicester stance on Wesley Fofana

Fofana also missed out on Leicester’s Carabao Cup clash against Stockport County on Tuesday. The League Two side took the second-round tie to penalties, despite Leicester having 26 shots and 78 per cent possession over normal time. However, Rodgers’ side eventually prevailed.

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Speaking after the victory, the Northern Irish boss explained the current situation with his young centre-back. He also revealed that Fofana missed a training session, and is now training with the Under-23s as a result.

He said (quotes via BBC Sport): “It’s so important, at this stage, to control any sort of distractions that might be there. He’s a good kid. It’s just been a really challenging situation for him.

“I’ve had it a number of times in my career, where there’s players who can deal with it, cope with it, get on, want to help their team-mates. There’s others that just can’t deal with the distraction.

“Of course, that distracts them, and it’s not quite right, and they miss a training session. Then you need the full commitment from your players. These guys get well paid. The very least you can do is turn up. And if you don’t, with all due respect, you can’t, then just think you can walk into our group.

“But, like I say, within day-to-day, he’s a good kid. It’s just been hard for him to deal with everything. And whilst he’s in that frame of mind, it’s been difficult for him to play.”

Leicester face Chelsea in Premier League action on Saturday at Stamford Bridge. It will be interesting to see which club Fofana is a part of by then.

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