Report: Leicester agree to sell Fofana to Chelsea for around £75M

Chelsea's perseverance has paid off.

The Blues are on the verge of landing their top defensive target after reaching a verbal agreement with Leicester City to sign Wesley Fofana, The Guardian's Fabrizio Romano reports.

After multiple attempts, Chelsea were finally able to convince Leicester to part with the 21-year-old for an offer worth around £75 million, Romano adds.

Meanwhile, French outlet L'Equipe claims that Chelsea will pay €82.5 million (£70.05 million) plus add-ons in a deal that could possibly make Fofana the most expensive defender of all time, as translated by Get French Football News.

Earlier this week, the Foxes rejected an improved offer - Chelsea's third - worth around £70 million.

His departure, however, appeared inevitable after being left out of Leicester City's squad for last weekend's loss to Southampton due to uncertainty over his commitment to the squad after Chelsea's approach.

Fofana was forced to train with the Leicester under-23 team, with manager Brendan Rodgers explaining he wasn't "in the right frame of mind to play." He was then ruled out of this weekend's trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.

But Fofana's eagerness to pursue a move to Chelsea appears to have been key in pushing the transfer over the line.

Once the deal between the two Premier League clubs is complete, Fofana is expected to put pen to paper on a long-term contract that keeps him at Chelsea until 2028, according to Romano.

Fofana appeared in 37 Premier League games following his arrival from Saint-Etienne in 2020. But the start of his 2021-22 campaign was interrupted when he suffered a broken leg in the preseason, forcing him to be sidelined for multiple months.