Real Madrid will reportedly target Leicester City star Wesley Fofana when the summer transfer window opens.
The centre-back – who is also a reported target of Chelsea and Manchester United – was revealed as being ‘on the radar’ of the La Liga giants last month.
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The France under-21 has explained his desire to play Champions League football and described Madrid as “the club of my dreams” last September.
“Rumours of Real Madrid?” he said. “It’s an honour. Real Madrid is the club of my dreams.
“It’s the biggest club in the world, and my dream is to play there.”
Defensa Central (via The Hard Tackle) reports Madrid’s interest in the 21-year-old and claim he is now their top target as they look to bolster their defence in the summer.
That’s after interest in Chelsea star Antonio Rudiger has waned due to the Germany international’s contract demands, and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde has been ruled out due to the prohibitive release clause of €80m.
The report claims Madrid believe Fofana – who joined Leicester from Saint-Etienne for £31m in the summer of 2020 – will be available for around €40m, though that seems optimistic.
Fofana has not played a single game this campaign after suffering a broken leg and ankle ligament damage in the club’s final pre-season match against Villarreal, but Brendan Rodgers revealed he’s set to return this month.
“He’s doing terrific and he will look to join the squad the week beginning February 14, which is great news for us. He’s working very hard with our medical team and sports science team,” said Rodgers.
“He’s on this final period now before he rejoins the main squad and then we will just assess it from there and see where he is at in that first week and then hopefully, somewhere in February, he will be close to playing.”
Rodgers admitted his team have missed the 21-year-old during his absence.
“I think you can see his importance, you’ve seen what we’ve missed throughout the season,” said the Leicester boss.
“Those final few pre-season games, especially in the Villarreal game, you saw the quality in him and the quality he gives the team.
“So to have that injury to such an important player for us, especially given how we play, we like to play with a high line and be aggressive and defend forward and we brought him in for that reason.
“Even though he is so young he plays with such personality and maturity – it was a huge blow for us.”
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