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Forgotten Chelsea signing leaves permanently three years after last appearance

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso looks on.

David Datro Fofana is reportedly leaving Chelsea having not played for the Blues since 2023.

According to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, Swiss club Servette have completed an initial €2.5million (£2.1m) deal for the 23-year-old striker, who was most recently on loan at Strasbourg.

David Datro Fofana of Chelsea runs during a match.2

Fofana's Chelsea career barely got off the ground

Fofana's Chelsea nightmare

Fofana joined Chelsea for £10.6m from Norwegian side Molde in January 2023 but went on to feature just four times for the Blues.

He also had loan stints with Union Berlin, Burnley – where he scored four Premier League goals in the 2023/24 – and Turkish outfits Goztepe and Fatih Karagumruk.

Fofana saw just 68 minutes of Premier League action for Chelsea, as well as featuring in an FA Cup tie against Manchester City - his most recent Blues appearance in 2023.

He'd been capped three times by the Ivory Coast prior to his move to Stamford Bridge but hasn't appeared for his country since.

And with three years still to run on his contract in west London, it seems the Blues have decided to recoup what they can for Fofana.

Chelsea shuffle the pack

Chelsea have already offloaded five first-team players this summer amid a squad rebuild under new manager Xabi Alonso.

Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella, Liam Delap, Tyrique George and Andrey Santos have all departed – most of them for substantial fees.

Delap was the most recent of the five to leave, with Nottingham Forest breaking their transfer record to sign the striker earlier this week.

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But it looks unlikely that he'll be the last player out the door before the end of the transfer window.

talkSPORT understands Enzo Fernandez's future is set to be resolved with the midfielder moving to Man City – though Chelsea deny that any formal talks have been held.

Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea looks on during a match.2

Enzo Fernandez might have played his last game for Chelsea

The Blues have sent a further five players out on loan.

Two of them have joined fellow Premier League clubs, with Axel Disasi heading to Crystal Palace and Alejandro Garnacho joining Aston Villa.

Villa are also poised to complete a £65m deal for another Chelsea centre-forward, Nicolas Jackson, talkSPORT understands.

But talkSPORT understands Villa are about to lose goalkeeper Emi Martinez to the Blues.

Fofana's next chapter

Having started out with Ivorian club Abidjan City, Fofana has spent the majority of his career in Europe.

Switzerland appears set to become the sixth country he'll have played in.

Seventeen-time champions Servette finished eighth in the Swiss top flight, the Super League, last season.

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