Chelsea consider shock sale of star defender amid Ligue 1 interest | OneFootball

Chelsea are reported to have opened the door to a summer departure for centre-back Wesley Fofana in the face of interest from Marseille.

The Blues endured a lengthy transfer battle to land Fofana in the summer of 2022, eventually parting with a whopping £75m and handing the 24-year-old a significant salary thought to sit around the £200,000-a-week mark.

Across his three years at the club, however, Fofana has been restricted to just 34 appearances across all competitions, having struggled horribly with injuries. 14 of those outings came this season before he underwent surgery on a season-ending issue last month.

Foot Mercato state Fofana's injury record has left Chelsea open to offers for his services this summer, with both loan and permanent bids expected to be entertained.

A permanent deal would likely come at a huge cost as Chelsea seek to avoid making a loss on Fofana, whose contract runs until 2029. Saudi Arabia is touted as the only likely destination in that case.

Fofana is currently out with a hamstring injury / Neal Simpson/Allstar/GettyImages

Should Chelsea let Fofana leave on loan, the interest is likely to be led by Marseille. Fofana confirmed earlier this season that he had received an offer from the Ligue 1 side during last summer and, while never wavering in his commitment to Chelsea, did not hide the fact he is a Marseille supporter and would be keen to represent the club in the future.

Marseille's interest remains but a summer loan is only likely to be feasible if they qualify for the Champions League. Roberto De Zerbi's side currently sit second but the race for a spot in the top four is incredibly tight. Strasbourg, Chelsea's sister side, are only four points behind in seventh.

Chelsea are known to be keen to bolster in defence this summer and have set their sights firmly on Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen, who is available for a release clause of £50m.

There have also been strong links to Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, who came through the Chelsea academy and made two senior appearances before being sold to the Eagles for £18m in 2021.