Chelsea forward would be perfect for Leicester City - Foxes will surely suffer transfer heartbreak though | OneFootball

Leicester City are one of the clubs being linked with an interest in David Datro Fofana

Leicester City have registered their January transfer interest in Chelsea outcast David Datro Fofana - and a deal for the Ivorian on paper makes an immense amount of sense.

It was reported earlier this week by The Standard that the Championship side are among the clubs eyeing a deal for the 23-year-old.

Fofana has spent the first half of the campaign on loan in Turkey with Fatih Karagumruk, where he scored six goals from 13 league appearances - a respectable record at a competitive level like the Turkish Super Lig.

But the West London giants have recalled the striker, with a view to cashing in on the 23-year-old before the February 2 transfer deadline in a bid to make some of the money they spent back.

Chelsea are reportedly looking to recoup as much of the £10.9 million fee they paid to sign him in January 2023 from Molde, with Leicester just one of multiple teams keen on a deal for the player - but the Blues' stance could give City a big issue.

David Datro Fofana deal makes a lot of sense for Leicester City - but not for nearly £10 million

Fofana has been unable to make it work at Chelsea, struggling to break into the first-team squad amid their wealth of attacking options.

However, that doesn’t mean his entire career should be written off either, as he has performed well while on loan spells in Turkey and in Burnley.

Across 21 appearances in the Super Lig for Karagumruk and Goztepe, he managed eight goals, and he also hit the back of the net four times for the Clarets during their most recent Premier League campaign before this year from only 15 appearances.

Taking the step down to the Championship at this stage of his career would make a lot of sense for the 23-year-old, as it’s a level where he could really excel in the immediate term.

The forward showed he can play in the Premier League in a struggling Burnley side, so there’s every chance he could score goals for the Foxes at a level below.

And a goalscorer is desperately needed, given their top marksman at this stage of the season is midfielder Jordan James, who has found the back of the net nine times in the Championship

The options of Patson Daka and Jordan Ayew have a combined total of six goals in the second tier, and given their experience, Marti Cifuentes would have expected more from his attackers.

If Cifuentes’ side are going to compete for a place in the play-offs, then they will absolutely need to improve this area of the squad, and Fofana being available might be the ideal solution this January - but there's a clear issue to contend with.

Leicester face major hurdle in David Datro Fofana pursuit

However, a £10 million fee might be a stretch too far for Leicester at this exact moment in time due to their financial issues.

The Foxes are in danger of being docked points by the EFL for failing to follow the financial rules in recent years, which has led to them tightening the belt in recent windows.

Given there is also reported interest from rivals Derby County, as well as Scottish giants Celtic, this could prove a step too far for the Foxes right now in a bid to get a deal done.

The only real way that Leicester could get this deal tied up is if Chelsea were willing to let the Midlands outfit have Fofana on loan for the remainder of the campaign - but this may be off the table.

It is a sign of how far Leicester have fallen in recent years that they may miss out to a team like Derby or Celtic, as they were once top of the Premier League’s middle class not too long ago.

At that point, interest in a player like Fofana would’ve put them as the favourites to his signature.

But Chelsea’s desire to cash in on the player permanently could now be the downfall of the Foxes’ January transfer plans.

It is clear that attacking firepower is needed to compete for promotion, and Fofana could provide exactly that, but his signing before 2 February certainly won’t be straightforward.