Chelsea move for England star not ruled out despite speculation cooling

Chelsea may still move for Manchester United defender Harry Maguire if they fail to land Wesley Fofana, reports suggest. 

According to The Evening Standard, The Blues may still launch a surprise offer for the centre-back if they fail in their efforts to sign Leicester City’s Fofana before next week’s transfer deadline.

Rumours in recent weeks suggested that Chelsea had enquired about the availability of Maguire, potentially looking to include him in a swap deal for Red Devils target Christian Pulisic.

The report claims that Chelsea have already had three offers for Fofana rejected, including a £70 million bid most recently, as The Foxes are holding out for a world record fee for a defender that would eclipse the amount they received for Maguire back in 2019.

Thomas Tuchel has been looking to add defensive reinforcements to his squad following the departures of both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger at the end of last season.

Despite signing Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli earlier in the window, Chelsea are still short of options at centre-back, a problem made worse by the Senegal international’s red card against Leeds United and subsequent suspension.

Chelsea haven’t yet ruled out a move for Maguire

Trevoh Chalobah has attracted the interest of several clubs looking to secure a loan move for the Englishman, according to 90min.

If the former Ipswich Town loanee were to depart, it would leave Tuchel with only Koulibaly and Thiago Silva as recognised central defenders, while Cesar Azpilicueta, Reece James and Marc Cucurella are all able to play in a back three.

Chelsea’s interest in Maguire may come as a surprise to many, with the 29-year-old having been dropped by United boss Erik ten Hag for their match against Liverpool on Monday after a string of inconsistent performances.

The ex-Leicester City defender has been subject to intense criticism for much of his time at Old Trafford, although he remains a regular for Gareth Southgate’s England.

Fofana, meanwhile, has been attempting to push through a move to Stamford Bridge by missing training on one occasion last week, and the Frenchman has also been left out of Brendan Rodgers’ last two matchday squads.