Chelsea star Wesley Fofana could exit club this summer as Blues make surprise decision amid interest from Ligue 1 club: Reports

Chelsea are reportedly ready to let Wesley Fofana leave this summer. The Blues want a player who is available for most of the season and believe that it is best for the Frenchman to regain fitness elsewhere.

As per Foot Mercato, Fofana will be available this summer either on loan or on a permanent move. The defender has missed the majority of the matches since moving to Chelsea due to several injury issues.

Fofana suffered an ACL injury in 2023, soon after recovering from a knee injury he suffered in 2022. The defender returned for Chelsea after nearly a year out and was doing well this season. However, he suffered a hamstring injury and was ruled out from December to February. After returning to fitness, the centre-back had to undergo surgery on a different muscle issue in April and is out for the season.

Ligue 1 side Marseille have shown interest in signing Fofana and could offer him an escape route from west London this summer.

When Wesley Fofana admitted he thought about leaving Chelsea

Wesley Fofana admitted in September 2024 that he had the chance to join Marseille last summer. He added that he seriously considered making the move back to France, but decided to stay and was not ruling out staying at Chelsea for the rest of his career.

Fofana told FreeFoot after last summer's transfer window (via Yahoo):

"I had a call that really touched me. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't considered it. It was Mehdi Benatia, from Olympique Marseille, the sporting director. It certainly touched me. I think everyone knows why and I had a thought. But at the moment, my objective is to succeed at Chelsea, to try and win games, to establish myself at my club."

"After that, Marseille, we'll see one day. I still have a contract until 2029. We'll see after that. I've never hidden anything. It's my city, it's my club, I'm a Marseille supporter. If it turns out to be the case, in a few years I'll be at Marseille and if it turns out to be the case, I could spend my entire career at Chelsea. So we'll see."

Chelsea are reportedly interested in a move for Dean Huijsen and have been linked with Jarrad Branthwaite as well.

About the author

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If given a chance to change a football rule, Sripad wants VAR to be fully automated and offside rules to be less stringent. When not working, he likes to watch past Formula 1 races and play FIFA.

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Edited by Arshit Garg