An update has emerged on Leicester central defender Wesley Fofana, regarding Real Madrid's interest in his services.
What's the talk?
According to reports in Spain, as relayed by the Leicester Mercury, Real Madrid are considering a move for Leicester centre-back Wesley Fofana this summer. Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane are both expected to depart the Spanish giants and Carlo Ancelotti has identified the former St Etienne powerhouse as a potential target.
Fofana joined Leicester from the Ligue 1 outfit around this time last year in a transfer said to be worth £30m. He signed a five-year contract with the club, with four years still left to run on his current deal.
Rodgers would be fuming
Leicester's director of football Jon Rudkin must avoid making a grave error with Fofana in the coming months.
He needs to reject interest from Real Madrid, and any other potential suitors, to keep the defender at the club as he is an integral member of Brendan Rodgers' squad and could be key to competing for a Champions League spot again next season.
Back in November of last year, Rodgers lavished praise on the youngster, describing him as “colossal” despite his age and lauding his qualities as a defender.
“We knew he was a top player for someone so young, and when we spoke to people out there and seeing all the clips, you could see he has anticipation as a defender, he has speed, he has aggression, he defends forward, so all the attributes we like here.
“I think the surprising thing is that if you look at the seven games he’s played and the level of the teams we’ve played, and the consistent run of games, how he’s coped with that. He’s absolutely colossal for a young guy."
This highlights how highly the Foxes head coach rates the central defender and why selling him now would be a gigantic mistake by Rudkin.
The chief needs to do everything in his power to keep Fofana at the club heading into next season, or else it could leave Rodgers seething. Losing an important player is never ideal and the ex-Liverpool boss would be fuming if he has to deal with the departure of the Frenchman.
The £51k-per-week beast enjoyed a fantastic debut season in England with the Foxes. He averaged a sublime WhoScored rating of 7.01 across 34 appearances in the Premier League and Europa League, whilst also playing four times as Leicester won the FA Cup. Domestically, Fofana averaged 2.2 interceptions and 1.8 tackles, whilst also making 3.3 clearances per game, which further emphasises the point that he is a defensive wall for the club.
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