MX23RW : Monday, October 19 04:37:36| >> :120:25962:25962:

Leicester agree £30m deal for Saint-Etienne defender Wesley Fofana

Leicester agree £30m deal for Wesley Fofana
© Reuters
The Foxes have been in the market for a new defender and have agreed a deal with the French club.

Leicester have agreed a deal with St Etienne for defender Wesley Fofana.

The Foxes are expected to pay more than £30million for the 19-year-old, with the Ligue 1 side confirming it would be a club record sale.

It will end Leicester's interest in Burnley's James Tarkowski, who had been keen on a move to the King Power Stadium, after they had a bid worth more than £30million rejected last week.

A St Etienne statement read: "AS Saint-Etienne reached an agreement on Tuesday evening with Leicester, the current leaders of the English Premier League, for the transfer of defender Wesley Fofana.

"The amount of this transfer is the largest ever obtained by the club."

Boss Brendan Rodgers had targeted a new centre-back and Fofana had spoken out about wanting to move to the Midlands after an initial bid was turned down earlier this month.

"I've received a lot of offers," Fofana told L'Equipe. "It's normal to have them checked with my agents. They didn't agree to me talking. But what just happened broke something in me.

"My decision is made: I accept an offer. Yes (to Leicester). I've always dreamed of playing in England."

James Tarkowski File Photo
The Foxes appear to have given up their pursuit of James Tarkowski.(PA)

Leicester had also been chasing Tarkowski and had two bids rejected in January in addition to last week's offer.

Burnley had also turned down two approaches from West Ham with their valuation closer to £40million.

The Clarets were confident of keeping the England international and never entertained selling him.

Leicester have already signed Timothy Castagne from Atalanta for £21.5million and Cengiz Under on loan from Roma.

ID:416459:

Click here for more stories about Wesley Fofana

Click here for more stories about Leicester City

Share this article now:
Did you know...?
Leicester City's Jamie Vardy claims the match ball after his hat-trick against Manchester City on September 27, 2020
Read Next:
PL Team of the Week - Vardy, Grealish, Meslier
>
Latest Sports Video
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.

rhs 2.0
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Everton5410147713
2Aston Villa44001221012
3Liverpool53111313010
4Leicester CityLeicester530212849
5Arsenal53028629
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs522115878
7Chelsea522113948
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham521211747
9Leeds UnitedLeeds42119817
10Manchester CityMan City42117707
11Southampton521289-17
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle521279-27
13Crystal Palace521268-27
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd4202912-36
15Wolverhampton WanderersWolves420247-36
16Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton5113911-24
17Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd501427-51
18West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom4013513-81
19Fulham5014412-81
20Burnley300338-50

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!