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The transfer window is counting down to its final week, and the tension and drama only continues to increase.
Chelsea is preparing a FOURTH bid for Leicester superstar Wesley Fofana, who has been demoted to training with the club’s youth squad to regain his focus amid the chaos.
Meanwhile, another Chelsea defender has left the club, as has a Manchester United player. Here’s all the latest!
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FOXES SEND FOFANA BACK TO THE KIDS
Leicester defender Wesley Fofana is training with the Under 23 squad because he has been distracted by interest from Chelsea, said manager Brendan Rodgers.
Chelsea had a third offer of reportedly £60-70 million (A$102 million) for the 21-year-old French centre-back rejected earlier this week – and another bid is set to come.
Rodgers revealed that Fofana failed to turn up for first team-training last week.
The player was omitted from the Foxes squad for their Premier League loss to Southampton on Saturday and a League Cup win over Stockport County on Tuesday.
Victory on penalties was welcome as the 2016 champions have yet to win in the Premier League this season with the Fofana saga also proving a distraction.
Leicester’s next game is against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. “He’s training with the under-23s so he can get his football fitness and keep working,” said Rodgers.
“These guys get well paid.
“The very least you can do is turn up. And if you don’t, with all due respect, you can’t then just think you can walk into our group.
“But, like I say, within day to day, he’s a good kid. It’s just been hard for him to deal with everything, and whilst he’s in that frame of mind, it’s been difficult for him to play.”
Chelsea are expected to come back with a fourth offer for Fofana, which could well break the world record of more than £80 million for a defender.
Fofana joined Leicester from St Etienne in 2020 for a reported £32 million and signed a new five-year contract in March. Leicester have insisted he is not for sale.
Chelsea have already spent about £170m this summer, and recently had a £45m bid for young Everton forward Anthony Gordon turned down.
Thomas Tuchel’s side — who are five points off leaders Arsenal — are also reportedly in talks with Barcelona about signing former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
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HAMMERS CONTINUE BIG SPENDING SPREE
West Ham signed Italy defender Emerson Palmieri from Chelsea in a deal worth a reported £15 million ($25 million) on Tuesday.
Emerson has agreed a four-year contract with the Hammers, with the option of a further one-year extension.
The 28-year-old left-back was born in Brazil, but moved to Italy in 2014 and was eventually granted citizenship.
He struggled to break into the Chelsea team in five years at Stamford Bridge and spent last season on loan at Lyon.
Emerson has won 27 caps for Italy and played in their win over England in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.
“I’m very happy to be here and to arrive here. It’s a big challenge for me, it’s a big team, so I’m very happy to be here and I’m ready,” Emerson told West Ham’s website.
“Personally, since the first day I arrived here in England, I always saw the big clubs and I always watched the big games and I knew the history about West Ham.
“The history is so big for this team and so when I knew about the interest for sure I said ‘Yes, let’s go, I want to go there’ and I’m here now! I can’t wait to get started in a West Ham shirt.” Emerson becomes West Ham manager David Moyes’ seventh signing since the end of last season.
“He is an experienced player with a good pedigree, who has enjoyed great success at both club and international level in recent years,” Moyes said.
“He will give us strong competition in defensive areas and brings a winning mentality that we are looking to build here at West Ham.” West Ham lost 2-0 at home against Brighton on Sunday and sit bottom of the Premier League after three straight defeats, the club’s worst start to a season in 51 years.
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TEN HAG STILL SAYS RONALDO HAS UTD FUTURE
Despite dropping superstar striker Ronaldo to the bench for Manchester United’s stunning victory over Liverpool, coach Erik Ten Hag continues to shut down any prospect of a transfer for the Portuguese gun.
It is hard to imagine Ronaldo being able to adapt to Ten Hag’s high-tempo philosophy in the twilight of his career.
But, publicly at least, Ten Hag is adamant Ronaldo has a part to play in his plans.
“I think he can. In his whole career he did it under several managers, in several styles and systems. He always performed so why can’t he do this? His age is not an issue,” Ten Hag said after the Liverpool game.
“We have a squad and we have a way of playing, a style and a game plan. You look at what is the best approach to the game. Today it was those players, Saturday it could be different.”
In Ronaldo’s absence, United’s defiant attitude against Liverpool provided the template for the Ten Hag era.
New signing Casemiro, recruited from Real Madrid, epitomises that spirit and Ten Hag wants to see the same from Ronaldo.
“We were talking about leadership, today we had leadership on the pitch, he is one as well,” Ten Hag said of Casemiro.
“Ronaldo has it, so you need some and it is like guidance for young players who didn’t achieve the trophies.” Pressed on Ronaldo and Maguire’s future, Ten Hag added: “I don’t have to mention Harry Maguire and Ronaldo, they are amazing players and they will play a role in the future, the short (term) future as well.
“It is always difficult (to leave them out) but I have decisions to make.” Whether that olive branch is enough to stop the Ronaldo dilemma from derailing Ten Hag’s United revolution remains to be seen.
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