Chelsea are not willing to let January signing David Datro Fofana leave on loan this week despite the reported negotiations with Turkish side Galatasaray, according to the Evening Standard.
The 20-year-old, who arrived in early January from Norwegian champions Molde, has recently been linked with a potential loan at Galatasaray.
The Turkish transfer window remains open until 8 February, so Super Lig is certainly an option.
A report from Turkish outlet Fanatik claims that Chelsea and Galatasaray were close to an agreement over an 18-month loan, although Fofana himself was said to prefer a shorter six-month spell.
However, the Evening Standard claims that Chelsea have made their decision and Fofana is set to stay at the club for the remainder of the season.
While a loan move could be beneficial to the Ivory Coast international’s development, keeping him at the club would arguably be the most sensible decision considering Chelsea’s attacking problems.
The Blues have only scored 22 goals from 21 games in the Premier League so far, at least 10 goals fewer than any other team in the top half of the table, and they would need all the firepower they can get to solve this.
Bear in mind that, while Graham Potter seems to prefer a dynamic forward such as Kai Havertz to play as a number nine, Fofana and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are the only two natural strikers in Chelsea’s squad, alongside Armando Broja who is out for the season.
Potter’s decisions in recent games also suggest that Fofana is already ahead of Aubameyang in the pecking order.
Fofana has only featured twice as a substitute for the Blues so far, including his Premier League debut against Fulham last Friday.
He may expect more opportunities to play soon as Chelsea will begin their campaign in the Champions League knock-out stages against Borussia Dortmund on 16 February.
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