Chelsea to complete latest deal after transfer window closes as price tag set

Chelsea have agreed on a fee with Greek side AEK Athens for striker Datro Fofana as they look to find solutions for some of their players who have been training with the ‘bomb squad.’

According to reports in the Greek media, Fofana will arrive in Athens within the next 48 hours to sign the deal, with the club agreeing to a €24million option to buy. Sport-fm.gr reports that the player showed a strong desire to join the Greek side, which facilitated the deal, and confirmed the inclusion of the option to buy.

Earlier in the summer, LondonWorld reported that Fofana, who was out on loan at Burnley, was heading to Leicester City, but the deal fell through due to both clubs failing to agree on a loan fee. Leicester instead turned to Jordan Ayew from Crystal Palace and later Odsonne Edouard.

The move to AEK provides the striker an opportunity to avoid wasting the next four months at Cobham and instead play for a traditional club that will be competing in the Greek Super League.

For Chelsea, the loan move puts Fofana in the shop window and edges him closer to a future sale, as internally, the forward is deemed surplus to requirements. The Blues originally signed Fofana from Molde in January 2023 for £8.4 million.

There are still several players at Cobham looking to secure moves away, including left-back Ben Chilwell, who has been completely frozen out and left training with the ‘bomb squad.’ The England international has been linked with teams in Turkey, where the transfer window is still open.

Youngster Alex Matos also saw a deadline-day deal to Getafe fall through and is tipped to either move to Turkey or a club in the Netherlands. Chelsea return to action this weekend when they take on Bournemouth in the Premier League.