Chelsea star teases transfer move after summer pitch made his heart go ‘boom boom’

Wesley Fofana says without the reassuring words of Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca, he could have made a return to Ligue 1 this summer.

The defender swapped Leicester City for Chelsea in the summer of 2022 for a fee worth up to £75m (€89.4m, $97m) but he has had a difficult spell at Stamford Bridge thus far.

The one-time France international was out for six months with a knee injury in the 2022/23 season and then in July 2023, Fofana suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury that ruled him out of the following campaign.

This season, however, the 23-year-old has started eight out of nine Premier League games for the Blues and is very much settled at the west London outfit. But Fofana admitted he was tempted by a move to Marseille this summer after an approach from Roberto De Zerbi’s team.

After Chelsea signed centre-backs Tosin Adarabioyo and Renato Veiga this summer, the former Saint Etienne player had concerns he would struggle for minutes this term. But a chat with Maresca allayed such fears. However, he did not rule out a Marseille transfer one day.

He told Telefoot: “I had a call that really touched me, and it would be a lie to say that I didn’t calculate it. It was Medhi Benatia, sporting director of OM, and it touched me. Everyone knows why… I had a thought, but the goal, at the moment, is to succeed at Chelsea.

“We had a call from Mr. Benatia. It’s sure that it went “boom, boom” in my heart. Because I was coming back from injury, and I didn’t know if I was going to be part of the club’s project.

“But I had a discussion with the coach [Maresca], and he told me that he was counting on me this season. So, I said I was very happy, I was 100% with Chelsea. But after that, it’s sure that there is OM in a part of my heart, we’ll see…”

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Chelsea exit unlikely

The 6ft 1in defender may not be heading for the exit door anytime soon as his Chelsea contract runs until the summer of 2029.

And despite the club having a wealth of centre-backs, namely Axel Disasi, Adarabioyo, Veiga, Levi Colwill, and Benoit Badiashile, Fofana seems to have tied down a starting spot in Maresca’s first XI.

For all the plaudits that are coming the way of Chelsea’s attack, after scoring 19 goals in just nine Premier League games this season, their defence has looked shaky at times, though.

The Blues have conceded 11 goals in the English top-flight this term, some of which have led from errors at the back.

And if Fofana is one of the best of that bunch, he may not need to fear about losing his place anytime soon – meaning a transfer exit is unlikely.

Incidentally, he also scoffed at the chance to join Manchester United when a fan asked him if he was heading to Old Trafford.

Chelsea eye Man City stalwart

TEAMtalk exclusively revealed that Manchester City could sell centre-back Ruben Dias in 2025 and Chelsea are monitoring the Portugal international’s situation.

The 27-year-old still has nearly three years left on his current deal at the Etihad but our sources understand an exit is not beyond the realms of possibility.

On the flip side, the Red Devils may try and sign left-back Ben Chilwell after all, months on from passing up the chance to secure his signature this summer.

This is because they may not be successful in their pursuit of Bayern Munich defender and Real Madrid target Alphonso Davies.

Finally, Los Blancos are reportedly willing to pay £84m for Blues midfielder Enzo Fernandez or to offer Aurelien Tchouameni as part of a deal.