Chelsea have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Lyon winger Malick Fofana, as Liverpool are reportedly keen on him.
The Blues want to sign a winger this summer, and their first priority was Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens. They made bids to sign the English attacker, but they were rejected by the German club and so Enzo Maresca may now have to look elsewhere.
One name that has been suggested is Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho, but United reportedly want around £70m for the Argentina international, a fee that Chelsea are unlikely to match.
So instead, the Blues have been linked to signing Lyon FC winger Malick Fofana, who scored 11 goals and provided six assists across all competitions last season. Reports in France have said that Chelsea have already made first contact with Lyon to enquire about the 20-year-old.
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However, according to French outlet L’Equipe, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest have both entered the race to sign Fofana. Although, they do report that as things stand, Chelsea are the front-runners to sign him.
The Belgian winger plays on the left mainly, and would be Chelsea’s replacement for Jadon Sancho, who was sent back to Manchester United after his loan deal at Stamford Bridge expired. Fofana has a market value of £25.6m, however Lyon have placed a £43m asking price on the 20-year-old, after they sold Rayan Cherki to Manchester City for £34m.
Are there any other wingers Chelsea could sign?
If the Blues opt against going for Fofana, they have also been linked to signing Aston Villa star Morgan Rodgers, but he would be a lot more expensive than any other of their potential winger targets.
According to TeamTalk, Chelsea and Arsenal are both considering a move for the England international, and are not put off by the £80m plus price tag that Villa have placed on Rodgers, after a supberb season for the Midlands-based club.
Rodgers made 54 appearances in all competitions for Aston Villa last season, scoring 14 goals and providing 15 assists, he was no doubt one of the best attackers in the Premier League.
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