Chelsea’s failure to qualify for Europe means BlueCo must find a different way of increasing the transfer kitty. They could make one or two big sales, or many smaller ones, like David Fofana.
Finishing in tenth sees Chelsea not only miss out on the Champions League money they received during 2025-26, but it also sees them miss out on any additional cash from Europe. Chelsea need money.
They could sell Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella. The duo might rake in £150m, and that’s a decent kitty for Xabi Alonso ahead of the summer window, but they are key players Alonso wants to keep.
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Then there is selling many of the club’s fringe players. Chelsea need to reduce the size of their squad having failed to qualify for Europe, and this might make most sense, even if it means a lot more work.
Players like David Fofana will be keen to leave Chelsea permanently this summer. After another loan at Strasbourg, Fofana needs a new start, more than three years after completing a £10m move to Chelsea.
Le Mans open talks to sign Chelsea striker Fofana
Filip Jorgensen, Marc Guiu, Emanuel Emegha, Wesley Fofana, Alejandro Garnacho and Liam Delap are all said to be of interest to other clubs. Selling these players means the quality of the side does not reduce.
Depth is affected, but Chelsea will raise their kitty, little bit at a time. Fofana needs a fresh start, and a report from Ivorian outlet IvoireZine says that newly-promoted Ligue 1 side Le Mans want Fofana.
They have opened talks to sign the Ivory Coast international, and Fofana is keen to join the side that won promotion by finishing in second in Ligue 2. Fofana is said to be keen to emulate some Ivorian legends.
Like, Didier Drogba. The Chelsea icon played for Le Mans before his move to Marseille, and then Chelsea. Gervinho, Christian Romaric are also examples of famous Ivorian players to have turned out for Le Mans.
David Fofana’s time at Chelsea has been tumultuous
Joining Chelsea as a complete unknown and one of the first examples of BlueCo’s long-term contracts, Fofana played four times for the Blues during the second half of the 2022-23 season, but never again.
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He would go on loan five times in the next three seasons. His first full season on the books at Chelsea saw Fofana go on loan to Union Berlin in the Bundesliga and then Burnley, scoring six goals in 32 outings.
Injury limited his number of appearances on loan at Turkish side Goztepe to just nine during 2024-25, before going on loan to Fatih Karagumruk and then Strasbourg in 2025-26. Now, he returns to Chelsea.
Five loans in three seasons prove he has no place at Chelsea, but his contract at Stamford Bridge will last until the summer of 2029. Le Mans would be a great move for him, his career, and as an Ivorian.
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